Austrian giants Salzburg, in its current capacity under Red Bull ownership, is only 19 years old, and yet has been a consistent producer of exceptional young talent for Europe’s elite to get a welcome taste.
Despite its relatively young age, the club has nurtured and developed some of the world’s most promising players over the last decade. Notable talents such as Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Kevin Kampl, Naby Keita, and Dayot Upamecano have all progressed through the Salzburg system, making a significant impact on the global stage.
Moreover, Salzburg’s tradition of fostering top-calibre talent continues to extend to current players who are now plying their trade at some of Europe’s elite clubs. Players like Dominik Szoboszlai, Konrad Laimer, Nicolas Seiwald, and Benjamin Sesko have all honed their skills at Salzburg and are now making significant contributions to their respective teams.
Even with new management at the helm, including former Liverpool coach Pepijn Lijnders, Salzburg continues to excel in cultivating and showcasing exceptional talent. Under Lijnders’ leadership, the club had enjoyed a very good start, securing six wins from 11 games in all competitions since his appointment this summer.
Results have plummeted in recent games though, with the Austrians losing by four goals or more in their last two games both in the Champions League and domestically. However, the talent gems within the squad continue to thrive and grow amidst such necessary pressure.
This remarkable achievement underscores Salzburg’s unwavering commitment to nurturing and promoting top-tier talent in the world of football and their current crop of talent could yet exceed their past graduates.
Oscar Gloukh, Karim Konate, Maurits Kjaergaard, Amar Dedic, Moussa Yeo, and Nene Dorgeles are all talented young players who are poised to make a splash in the world of elite football.
However, standing out among these promising gems is Lucas Gourna-Douath, a midfield dynamo known for his tenacious and industrious style of play. While the French bulldozer may not be a product of the Salzburg Academy system, he’s still a very notable and prestigious alumnus of Salzburg student – or he eventually will be.
With his exceptional work ethic, unstoppable physical levels and technical ability, Gourna-Douath has shown great promise and has the potential to become one of the best talents in his position in the future.
Salzburg’s pool of talent is poised for continuous growth, ready to unearth more extraordinary young players in the years to come. However, there’s an inevitable feeling that these budding talents will eventually be transferred to bigger clubs for substantial sums.
If Gourna-Douath maintains his remarkable upward trajectory and continues to develop under Lijnders’ highly-regarded coaching, he is likely to be Salzburg’s next major sale within the next year. The Die Roten Bullen bosses will be banking on this outcome.
Nearly every elite outfit in Europe are actively seeking midfielders who possess exceptional physical attributes as well as a high level of technical proficiency and Gourna-Douath certainly fits the mould but how has he got to this stage in his career? And is he ready for the elite spotlight when it comes?
Who is Gourna-Douath?
Gourna-Douath, born in August 2003 in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, located in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France, began his football journey in various youth setups.
He first honed his skills at AS Lieusaint, then moved on to US Sénart-Moissy, and later joined US Torcy PVM. His promising talent earned him a spot in the renowned French Ligue 1 club, Saint-Etienne. In May 2020, at the young age of 16, he inked his first professional contract with the club.
Given his exceptional potential and skill, Gourna-Douath swiftly made his mark in the Saint-Etienne setup. This resulted in his debut for the first team in a memorable 2-0 victory over Strasbourg in the Ligue 1, which took place in September of the same year.
The fiercely competitive French player established himself as a key figure in the Saint-Etienne first team following his debut.
Over the course of two complete seasons, he accumulated an impressive 61 appearances in the league. In July 2022, he made a noteworthy transfer to Red Bull Salzburg for a substantial fee of £12 million, setting a new record as the most expensive signing in the history of the Austrian Bundesliga at that time.
He’s gone on to become a central figure for the Austrian club too at the heart of their midfield, registering nearly 60 appearances at the time of writing and as stated previously, it won’t be long before he’s making another impressive jump to the biggest clubs on the continent.
For now, though, Gourna-Douath’s development is best served under the tutelage of Lijnders at Salzburg. Should his brilliant trajectory continue, he could gain some deserved international recognition from the senior French team.
The 21-year-old has featured at all youth international levels so far, ranging from the under-16s right through to the under-21s where he’s featured twice so far showcasing just how highly thought of he is within the French talent pool.
But why is that the case?
What is Gourna-Douath’s style of play?
When trying to picture Gourna-Douath’s style of play at face value, you’d immediately class him as an all-action swashbuckling midfield profile, one who and that is exactly the young Frenchman to a tee.
The 21-year-old talented player stands at 6’1″, which may not make him the tallest or most physically imposing figure on the field.
Despite his relatively slender build, he possesses deceptively strong physical attributes, making him a formidable presence among other all-action midfielders.
In simple terms, you wouldn’t want to run towards him with the ball. Nine times out of ten, you won’t get past him due to his exceptional ball-winning abilities.
Despite his size, his long and rangy limbs enable him to cover a wide area and intercept passes effectively. He possesses a very good body mass ratio, physical strength, power, stamina and natural fitness and feels comfortable in contact situations.
Additionally, his high defensive IQ allows him to anticipate opponents’ movements and make crucial interceptions.
In the defensive phase, Gourna-Douath recorded an impressive 10.4 in PADj (possession-adjusted) interceptions whilst also recording 5.8 balls recovered and 1.6 tackles per game last season highlighting his expert ball-winning attributes.
It is why he’s heavily categorised as a true box-to-box midfielder: because of his innate ability to win the ball high through pressing and counter-pressing, as well as when his team is defending deep in a low block.
In fact, he is incredible at covering large spaces and eating up ground everywhere throughout the middle third as shown in his 23/24 season heatmap below (SofaScore).
He is equally destructive and adept at breaking up play when his team are being countered by their opponents as shown in the image below.
The French bulldozer waits and sticks to his defensive positioning waiting for the perfect moment to strike to stop the danger:
Before possessing excellent judgement, anticipation and timing to break up play and stop the onrushing attacker in his tracks:
In another instance, we see a totally different scenario. This time, he is tracking and matching his opponent for pace in Angel Di Maria who is converging in the Salzburg defensive third:
Once again, Gourna-Douath showcases his exceptional awareness as he closely shadows Di Maria’s run towards the penalty area.
With a keen understanding of the Argentinian’s ability to create scoring opportunities in such attacking positions, he expertly positions himself to dispossess Di Maria through his octopus legs able to anticipate, stretch across and get a crucial touch on the ball, effectively neutralizing the threat.
Attributes like this are why the 21-year-old has become arguably the best ball-winning outlet in the Austrian Bundesliga. But more crucially, it is one of the main reasons why new manager Lijnders sees the Frenchman’s future as a duel-winning and tempo-setting defensive midfielder rather than a pure box-to-box outlet.
He may well have played his whole relatively short career as the latter but he possesses the flawless attributes, positional understanding, tactical and technical IQ to hold his own as the former – a consummate, agile and disruptive #6.
The tools and attributes of a deep-lying #6 revolve around controlling the game or “pulling the strings” if you’d like. This involves dictating the tempo and maintaining possession so that the team is always controlling the game.
These attributes include; a high footballing IQ, confidence with the ball, a range of passes, technical dribbling and vision.
However, nowadays the role transcends beyond the understanding of just dictating the tempo of a team’s style of play, they are also expected to receive the ball well under pressure from goalkeepers or centre-backs, play with their back to where their team is shooting as well as screening their back four and protecting it.
Gourna-Douath already has the latter part locked down to a tee due to his tremendous ball-winning ability and his propensity to cover and screen large spaces because of his excellent recovery pace and athleticism but what’s all the more impressive is the Frenchman can also exert his control on the ball as well as off it.
To become an elite operator as a #6, all of the above characteristics must be performed to a consistent and measured level and Gourna-Douath is already on his way to becoming one.
First and foremost, the French under-21 international is incredibly skilful on the ball and that is aided by and not despite his rangy size and octopus legs – incredibly adept at receiving passes with his back to goal and evading pressure if needed.
Take this instance against Benfica last season for example. Gourna-Douath finds space in his own defensive third to receive the ball with his back to goal, evade Benfica’s press and aid progression. It may look as if he’s got enough time and room for him to get out of…
However, as he receives the pass, the three Benfica attackers in picture and two deeper outlets in picture do well to apply enough pressure for him to potentially lose the ball…
The Frenchman has other ideas. He receives the pass but Angel Di Maria gets close enough to dispossess him…
The French youngster showcases tremendous body usage/deception, quick feet and spatial awareness to evade the tight spot and get his team out of Benfica’s press.
In situations where a deep-lying midfielder is under pressure or being pressed, it’s crucial to observe their body deception and footwork. These skills allow them to deceive their marker, evade pressure, and effectively support their team in getting out of challenging scenarios.
He is also exceptional at skillfully guiding the ball with precision across his body, expertly deceiving his marker with subtle feints and body movements to create space and escape from tight defensive pressure.
Gourna-Douath excels in possessing an abundance of this characteristic. He is extremely difficult to knock off the ball thanks to his size, technique, and good close control. He possesses high stamina, energy, and the ability to go on lung-bursting runs through the middle of the park.
Here’s another instance, in the same game.
With Benfica chasing the game, trying to find a goal back after going 2-0 behind, Di Maria tries to exert pressure to win the ball back quickly with the Frenchman once more in a tight spot with his back to goal…
…but Gourna-Douath again possesses the speed of thought, quick footwork and deceptive movement to knock the ball past the Argentinian and retain possession.
The Saint-Etienne youth product is not your typical player who simply focuses on winning possession before passing the ball to a teammate to drive the team forward.
Instead, he excels in taking on the responsibility of orchestrating the team’s progression up the pitch, using his exceptional vision, dribbling ability, and passing range to create opportunities and dictate the tempo of the game.
Last season, the midfielder recorded a whopping 9.28 progressive passes per 90 for Salzburg once again highlighting his incredible passing range, vision and execution in order to find his attacking teammates in dangerous areas.
He also ranks in the 96th percentile for progressive passes, 92nd percentile for forward passes and 86th percentile for defensive actions amongst under-21 midfielders in Europe [DataMB]
As we see in the instance below, the Frenchman (ORANGE) wonderfully dissects the opposition’s midfield line with a cutting-edge line-breaking pass to find a teammate in the half-space (BLUE) – and through on goal.
Gourna-Douath’s on-field presence goes beyond the perception of a swashbuckling and terrier-like midfielder primarily tasked with ball recovery.
His playing style embodies elegance, characterized by exceptional close control, visionary passing, and a remarkable passing range. Beyond his technical prowess, he possesses the much-favoured ability to dictate the flow of games and thrive under pressure, making him an indispensable asset to his team.
However, there are some chinks in the Frenchman’s armour.
His style of ball-winning is sometimes marred by his tendency to be overly aggressive. This can lead to unnecessary tackles, as he may dive into challenges when it is not required, rather than focusing on tracking his opponent and making well-timed and decisive tackles.
This behaviour can sometimes put him at risk of giving away fouls and receiving cards, impacting his overall effectiveness on the field.
Also, he tends to struggle with his decision-making on the pitch, especially when he or his team are facing adversity. This often results in him losing concentration and failing to perform at the level expected given his strong physical and dominant attributes.
However, at the age of 21, it’s common for young players to have areas in their game that need drastic improvement. With youth on his side, Gourna-Douath has ample time to refine his skills and overcome these weaknesses.
While he still has a lot of room to grow as a player, his strong work ethic and natural talent provide a solid foundation for him to potentially ascend to the ranks of an elite defensive midfield player in the future.
What does the future hold for Lucas Gourna-Douath?
The potential possessed by Gourna-Douath positions him as a promising defensive midfielder of his generation.
His blend of physical prowess and technical finesse sets the stage for a remarkable ascent in his career. It comes as no surprise that he has already captured the attention of numerous potential suitors as he progresses in his development with Red Bull Salzburg.
AC Milan, Manchester United, Salzburg’s sister club RB Leipzig, AS Monaco & Tottenham Hotspur have all been linked with the French sensation in the past and he could so easily have left Austria this summer had a suitable offer been submitted for Salzburg to consider.
However, the absence of competing offers has unexpectedly turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the player. This turn of events has now allowed the player’s development to benefit from the coaching expertise of Lijnders, who previously served as Jurgen Klopp’s assistant at Liverpool.
Gourna-Douath appears to require at least another season or two at his current level to solidify his position as one of the best in his age group. Despite showing potential, his role as a consistent starter under Lijnders remains uncertain, indicating that he still has significant strides to make before he can consistently compete at an elite level in European football.
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