I've used data from Wyscout on forwards who have played over 720 minutes of football in the 2022/23 French second tier to see what strikers come out on top of my rankings.
Looking for forwards with a penalty box presence I've used the following criteria
• Shots per 90
• Shots on target % per 90
• xG per 90
• Touches in box per 90
The top five players in the rankings are
Sambou Soumano, 22 (Quevilly Rouen)
Ibrahim Sissoko, 27 (Saint-Etienne)
Alexandre Mendy, 29 (Caen)
Florian Aye, 26 (Auxerre)
Killian Corredor, 22 (Rodez)
Let's focus on Sambou Soumano.
Soumano is a 22yr old Senegalese forward contracted to Lorient, currently on loan to Quevilly Rouen.
Soumano signed for Lorient ahead of the 2021/22 season. He scored three times in Ligue 1 that season from four starts and seventeen substitute appearances (432 minutes).
Soumano's 2022/23 season was spent at a couple of different clubs. Loans to Eupen in Belgium and Rodez in Ligue 2 seen Soumano score three times across twenty seven matches spanning both loans (1,296 minutes)
2023/24 has started much more promisingly for Soumano, at least from an individual viewpoint. Quevilly Rouen are bottom of the table with seven points from a possible thirty six. The Red & Yellows have only scored twelve goals in their twelves league games. Soumano has five of them - 41.67 %.
What does the video tell us? Soumano is a predatory poacher type of a forward. Four of his five goals this season are from in or very close to the six yard box. Soumano has very quick reactions which see him picking up goals from Goalkeeper parries and loose balls in the penalty area. Going back into footage form last season you can see that Soumano is good in tight spaces, using his balance and skills to create half a yard enabling him to get shots off where it looks unlikely.
Soumano looks about 6ft tall and is a strong in the air. He shows lots of desire to attack headers in the penalty area. Soumano favours his right foot but is left is fine considering it's his weaker foot.
There's plenty of reason to think Soumano would score even more goals in a team with better chance creation where he wouldn't be as reliant on fashioning chances for himself.
According to transfermarkt Sambou Soumano's contract at Lorient expires at the end of the season.
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