“If you have a player like that who puts in so much defensive effort – not just tracking back but also pushing forward since he is the one who wins back the most balls high up the pitch in Ligue 1 – it means he is an atypical and modern player.”
Those were the words of Monaco coach Sebastien Pocognoli in March when speaking about Maghnes Akliouche. The player had scored the equaliser away to Lyon before winning the penalty that secured the three points. But Pocognoli praised his work rate.
It helps to explain why there has been such interest in Akliouche. The 24-year-old France international had been linked with a move to Liverpool but Paris Saint-Germain have won the race. Amid a market stacked with talented wingers, he brings something different.
There is the quality, of course. Akliouche has a highlights reel to rival the best of them. Be sure to check out his overhead kick against Rennes last year, a feat of acrobatics as well as technical proficiency. The variety of finishes in his repertoire is remarkable.
Some of them are blasted into the back of the net with surprising force, while there are others - such as his second in a win over Brest - that are dinked over the goalkeeper. Five out of the 18 goals in his Ligue 1 career have been scored with his weaker right foot.
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But even rarer than the overhead kicks and the delicate finishes is for this sort of class to go hand in hand with such work ethic. Pocognoli was right to call it atypical. He was just as right to call it modern. Top coaches now demand it and Akliouche delivers.
“He is a really good pressing player,” Abel Lorincz tells Sky Sports. He was Monaco's technical coach last season under Pocognoli having been in position under Adi Hutter before that. “He really shined in Adi's system. High energy, high pressing, lots of intensive actions.”
Akliouche finished the season ranking third for possessions won in the final third of the pitch. “It is why I was not surprised that Liverpool were interested in him,” says Lorincz. Andoni Iraola, like Luis Enrique, is a coach who demands that his players press high.
But Akliouche is much more than hustle and bustle. This is a composed player, one who has matured, having played almost 150 games for Monaco. “He has amazing technical ability but he also has really high game intelligence,” says Lorincz.
He puts Akliouche among that elite group of players who do not just learn from their coaches but teach them too. “They come up with solutions in games that maybe you did not think of as a coach.” After his World Cup summer, he will have only grown as a player.
“If you are in that France squad and Didier Deschamps takes you to the World Cup, it is for a reason.” And while Akliouche was restricted to just a few minutes off the bench, this is a player ready for the next step. “One hundred per cent. He is a really big talent,” says Lorincz.
“I think what impresses me a lot is that he is really good at taking in information. He is a really coachable player.” Lorincz describes Akliouche as “really creative” and this can often come with a certain looseness. “For that type of player, he is very coachable.”
Lorincz worked on set-pieces for Monaco last season and saw this ability up close when dealing with him. Despite his slender frame, Akliouche actually turned out to be a useful weapon in those situations - even if his role was not immediately obvious.
“He was one of the attacking players inside the box, mostly either closing down the second post or blocking. He actually blocked quite a lot for Eric Dier. That was his job for a lot of the time. And he was really good at it, to be honest,” Lorincz explains.
“Even though he is not a particularly big player, he was able to deal with some players who were bigger than him, and that is a testament to his intelligence. Also, sometimes we would change things around at half-time in terms of the attacking set-pieces.
“And sometimes, when you say something as a coach, you are not sure if the players will remember in the second half. That is just the nature of the game. But he always followed the instructions and did it. That is what I mean, that he is very coachable.”
The man coaching him next will be Luis Enrique, the only three-time Champions League winner working in the club game right now. It is an opportunity for Akliouche to work with one of the best around. But this is an opportunity for Luis Enrique and PSG too.
They know all about Akliouche after he scored the opening goal of the game against them twice in consecutive weeks at the Parc des Princes earlier this year. A big-game player? What is certain is that for Maghnes Akliouche, there are many more of those to come.
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Previous transfer context
The move to Paris Saint-Germain also fits with the wider transfer picture around Akliouche this summer. Our earlier coverage reported that Maghnes Akliouche was open to a Premier League move as Liverpool made a transfer enquiry, while PSG had three bids rejected by Monaco.
We also reported that Liverpool were handed a Bradley Barcola transfer boost as PSG moved for Akliouche, with the Reds weighing up alternatives if a £145million deal proved too costly.
A modern winger with end product and effort
Akliouche stands out because the attacking flair is matched by relentless off-the-ball work. Pocognoli's March comments came after a performance in which Akliouche scored away to Lyon and then won the penalty that secured the three points, showing he can decide matches in multiple ways.
That blend of output and effort has made him one of the most talked-about attacking talents around. In a market full of wide players, he offers a different profile: not just pace, dribbling and invention, but also the ability to recover possession high up the pitch in Ligue 1.
The quality is obvious in the finishes he produces. His overhead kick against Rennes last year captured the technical side of his game, while the second goal in a win over Brest showed touch and composure. Five out of the 18 goals in his Ligue 1 career have come with his weaker right foot, underlining how unpredictable he can be.
That creative variety is paired with consistency in pressing roles. Akliouche finished the season ranking third for possessions won in the final third of the pitch. For coaches who demand intensity, that is as valuable as any highlight-reel moment.
Why coaches value him
Abel Lorincz, Monaco's technical coach last season under Pocognoli after previously being in position under Adi Hutter, believes the numbers and the eye test align. “He is a really good pressing player,” he tells Sky Sports. “He really shined in Adi's system. High energy, high pressing, lots of intensive actions.”
That is why, Lorincz says, Liverpool's reported interest made sense. “It is why I was not surprised that Liverpool were interested in him,” says Lorincz. Andoni Iraola, like Luis Enrique, is a coach who demands that his players press high.
But Akliouche's game goes beyond pressing. He has now played almost 150 games for Monaco, and Lorincz describes him as “a composed player” who has matured. “He has amazing technical ability but he also has really high game intelligence,” says Lorincz.
He places Akliouche in the category of players who do more than absorb instructions. “They come up with solutions in games that maybe you did not think of as a coach.” After his World Cup summer, he will have only grown as a player.
“If you are in that France squad and Didier Deschamps takes you to the World Cup, it is for a reason.” And while Akliouche was restricted to just a few minutes off the bench, this is a player ready for the next step. “One hundred per cent. He is a really big talent,” says Lorincz.
“I think what impresses me a lot is that he is really good at taking in information. He is a really coachable player.” Lorincz describes Akliouche as “really creative” and this can often come with a certain looseness. “For that type of player, he is very coachable.”
Useful in set pieces too
Lorincz also worked on set-pieces for Monaco last season and saw another side of Akliouche's value. Despite his slender frame, he became a useful weapon in those situations, even if his role was not immediately obvious.
“He was one of the attacking players inside the box, mostly either closing down the second post or blocking. He actually blocked quite a lot for Eric Dier. That was his job for a lot of the time. And he was really good at it, to be honest,” Lorincz explains.
“Even though he is not a particularly big player, he was able to deal with some players who were bigger than him, and that is a testament to his intelligence. Also, sometimes we would change things around at half-time in terms of the attacking set-pieces.
“And sometimes, when you say something as a coach, you are not sure if the players will remember in the second half. That is just the nature of the game. But he always followed the instructions and did it. That is what I mean, that he is very coachable.”
PSG get their man
The man coaching him next will be Luis Enrique, the only three-time Champions League winner working in the club game right now. It is an opportunity for Akliouche to work with one of the best around. But this is an opportunity for Luis Enrique and PSG too.
They know all about Akliouche after he scored the opening goal of the game against them twice in consecutive weeks at the Parc des Princes earlier this year. A big-game player? What is certain is that for Maghnes Akliouche, there are many more of those to come.
Play Super 6 for a chance to win £250k! Enter for free.
