Joel Asoro, whose roots are Nigerian, has earned rave reviews after he emerged the match winner for FC Metz at RC Lens.
Asoro, 24, grabbed the lone strike, which proved to be the difference between the two Ligue 1 clubs at the weekend.
He cost Metz 1.2 Million Euros this summer from Sweden.
“He can play all over the attacking front, but he’s mostly a winger. He has a lot of activity, he is very powerful with the ball, capable of making differences and has good cross quality,” remarked Metz sports director Pierre Dréossi.
“We were looking for someone who has the ability to bring the ball upfront on his own to be able to raise our team block.”
This fan of former Metz star Sadio Mane worked hard defensively at Lens Saturday to make five ball recoveries even though he only made two successful passes.
“He has made progress from what we saw against Lens,” explained Arnaud Janus, contributor to the specialist site Nordiskfootball.
“He does not shy away from defensive work or tackles. He’s a good player for a club like Metz.”
Involved in 10 goals (seven goals, three assists) in 14 Conference League matches in 2022-2023, he was close to joining Bordeaux (Ligue 2) last January.
The suitcases were packed and his wife had taken steps to have their dogs travel, before the deal crashed.
Six months later, the player who played for Sunderland (2015-2018), Swansea (2018-2019) and even Genoa (end of 2020) is now shining in Ligue 1.
