When Patrick Vieira watches Crystal Palace training this week, he may be transported back to his early playing career. Because in new signing Naouirou Ahamada, he has someone reminiscent of his younger self.
Ahamada’s £10.6million (€12m; $13m) move from German club VfB Stuttgart will go some way to alleviating the frustration at a lack of options in a squad which, after heavy defeats by Fulham and Tottenham, at least stemmed the bleeding with draws against Manchester United and Newcastle.
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But if supporters were hoping Ahamada can immediately fill the Conor Gallagher-shaped hole that has existed in the Palace midfield ever since his season-long loan from Chelsea ended last May, they are likely to be disappointed. Yes, there are some similarities between the two, but they are not exactly the same type of midfielder.
So, what kind of player have Palace signed?
Ahamada’s physical development was ahead of his peers as he was schooled through the Juventus academy and that helped him to stand out — but as that natural advantage diminished, it was felt other players caught up with him.
Naouirou Ahamada is a raw talent but has the potential to be an important player at Selhurst Park (Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)As a 17-year-old, however, he trained with the Italian giants’ first team under Massimiliano Allegri and later Maurizio Sarri, and there have been caps for France’s youth teams, up to under-18s level.
Stuttgart identified his talent and signed Ahamada on loan at the end of the summer 2020 window, with a view to making it permanent. Their option was triggered at the end of that season for a fee of €1.5million.
The 20-year-old is considered to have significant potential as a box-to-box midfielder whose qualities are with the ball at his feet, rather than in the tackle. Athletic and technically capable, he carries the ball well in transition from defence to attack and is suited to playing as the advanced No 6 or as a No 8 in a pair, provided he has defensive support alongside him.
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Those who have worked with Ahamada highlight his ability to break out of small spaces with one or two touches before covering space on the pitch with long strides. He is deceptively quick but is said to still be learning how to play the final pass, and has a tendency to be timid in his decision-making.
That is, however, something he has improved since becoming a regular with Stuttgart in the first half of this season after Orel Mangala joined Nottingham Forest in July.
Two assists and a red card in his last appearance sum up Ahamada’s current status: a talented but raw player with plenty still to learn, even if he has featured 17 times in the 2022-23 Bundesliga, scoring twice and assisting twice.
Naouirou Ahamada scores against RB Leipzig in August, one of his two goals for Stuttgart in this season’s Bundesliga (Photo: Thomas Kienzle/AFP via Getty Images)Faults, however, are natural for young players without much experience. What matters most is how they are worked on, and how quickly and effectively. That is where Ahamada has impressed.
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Whereas, in the beginning with Stuttgart, he occasionally offered passive performances, that is no longer the case. He is said to be studious, reflective, observant and always seeking feedback to improve.
Those who are familiar with his game suggest this is likely to be very much a signing for the future by Palace; someone who has significant potential but is not yet thought to be ready to join Vieira’s squad as a Premier League regular. It would be a mistake to expect that Ahamada will, alone and immediately, solve the imbalance in the Palace midfield.
Of course, given the lack of anyone capable of effectively bridging those spaces — Jeffrey Schlupp has struggled to fit that role this season — he may still have an influential role to play.
If he is not ready to do so straight out of the box, the belief is that it won’t be long before he is.
Even if things do not go to plan, there is little downside to this deal for Palace. The fee is relatively modest and Ahamada is young enough for them to recoup at least some of the money they’ve paid.
But if he develops in the way they hope, then Palace will have snared a bargain — someone who it is felt could ultimately be worth three times what he cost them.
This is a fairly low-risk transfer with a possible major upside, even if Palace’s short-term issues are not entirely resolved by it.
(Top photo: Seb Frej for Crystal Palace)
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