Twenty3’s Under 23s to watch: Rayan Cherki
Rayan Cherki is the latest talent off France — and Lyon’s — elite production line.
The teenage sensation has caught the eye recently with a string of sparkling performances at the Under-21 European Championships.
Following rumours he could be moving to the Premier League, we fired up Twenty3’s Toolbox to analyse the 19-year-old.
Breakthrough season
Cherki enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2022-23.
His club debut came in the 2019-20 season but he played more minutes in all competitions this term (2,311) than in the previous three combined (2,136).
The Frenchman also produced his best single-season haul of goal contributions in Ligue 1 last term, racking up four goals and six assists after managing one goal and four assists in prior campaigns.
Cherki’s shot and shot assist map highlights his creativity, particularly from advanced areas close to the goal.
However, the graphic also reveals his propensity to take shots from distance, particularly from the edge of the box. The 19-year-old did not score from outside the area during the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign, though, and his shot selection could use some refinement.
Creative passing
Further insight into Cherki’s tendencies in possession can be found in his creative passing overview.
The passing flow visualisation paints a picture of a player who regularly looks to work the ball towards the opposition goal from the flanks — particularly the left half-space or wide on the right.
The passes received and passes attempted by zone maps highlight the teenager’s versatility, too.
He plays and receives passes with frequency on both sides of the pitch and even centrally, demonstrating his ability to operate in a variety of roles and positions.
Impressive tournament
Despite France’s disappointing quarter-final defeat against Ukraine at the U21 European Championships, Cherki still stood out as one of the most promising talents at the tournament in Romania and Georgia.
The Frenchman scored in Les Bleuets’ 4-1 drubbing of Switzerland and also bagged the opener against Ukraine in the quarter-final.
His two goals came despite largely performing a more creative role in which his main function was to progress the ball from deeper areas into more dangerous, advanced ones.
That role saw him play a number of incisive passes, including through-balls — he completed the fourth-most such passes (three) at the tournament.
Cherki also proved himself an effective dribbler capable of driving through the heart of a defensive structure by registering 14 successful dribbles, the eighth-most of any player in the competition.
Should Cherki continue to build on his considerable talents, Europe’s elite will no doubt come calling in the hope that he can fulfil his potential in their colours.
All visualisations in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.