Rousing the Kop spoke exclusively to a former coach of a £34m player who has been linked with Liverpool recently.
One area where Liverpool will be looking to recruit this summer is expected to be in attack. Regardless of who arrives to replace Jurgen Klopp as manager, the Reds are thought to be very keen on signing another winger.
Mohamed Salah has been in remarkable form this season, but he has shown signs that he isn’t infallible after all.
Earlier this year, he endured his longest injury lay off in years missing several key fixtures. Including parts of Egypt’s African Cup of Nations campaign and the Carabao Cup final.
Ideally, this summer Liverpool will look to bring in a back-up attacker, who can provide competition and deputise for Salah.
For that role, there may be no better option than one of the most exciting young players in European football at the moment.
How Johan Bakayoko made his mark against Harvey Elliott
Belgium U15 coach Arno Van den Abbeel, still vividly remembers the first time he invited Johan Bakayoko into the national team. Deceptively quick and full of tricks, he immediately caught his eye.
“The first time I saw him were convinced of his qualities,” Van den Abbeel recalls to Rousing the Kop.
“He played at a lower level, but we took him. A lot of our players in our squad were from Anderlecht or from high-level clubs. But he was at KV Mechelen and that already says something about him that he stood out at this level and at his club. So yeah, of course, we saw already his potential and his talent at a young age.”
One of Bakayoko’s first matches for Belgium’s U15 side was up against England, who were lining up with Jude Bellingham and Harvey Elliott.
“I remember that game. It’s the 2003 squad. There were a lot of good players in that squad, but I played him,” Van den Abbeel says.
“It’s the first activity for our under 15s each year. We do it now for five years. We always play against England and they get like this initiation into that level and there you see the difference between players who can step up that level and keep up with the tempo and even stand out and show amazing skills. And you have players who struggle. He was really the first. He was standing out, and he played a good game.”
But while Bakayoko was impressive, not just in games but also in training. There were also naturally areas of his game that Van den Abbeel felt he had to refine.
“There were times in training we were stunned by his skills, but it was not consistent yet when he was with the under 15 national team. He has had to work a lot on his defensive transitions on his defensive work.”
That happened later on when Bakayoko moved to Anderlecht, where he became a ‘more complete player’ according to Van den Abbeel. Later, moving to PSV Eindhoven, Bakayoko made another huge step, and has since stunned not just his U15 coaches but defenders all around Europe.
Johan Bakayoko’s playing style, and why he is the most exciting young winger in Europe
At just 20-years-old Bakayoko has already made 23 goal contributions for PSV Eindhoven in all competitions this season. He has also scored his first senior international goal in a 3-0 win for Belgium.
Both an excellent finisher, and a creative outlet, Van den Abbeel is keen to highlight Bakayoko’s multi-faceted nature.
“You cannot put him in a box because he’s a very creative player. He can put defenders out of their comfort zone. He can go both ways. Come inside, go outside. He can bring centers with his left foot and with his right foot.”
One of Bakayoko’s trademark moves is his ability to cut in from the right and take shots with his left foot. An ability Van den Abbeel has likened to Arjen Robben.
“He likes to go one on one when he has space with the defender, and the defender is out of zone and he can come at you with speed and he can take you on the inside.
“Then he is the most dangerous for me. So when he dribbles one on one, he takes the defender on the inside and he can shoot. A bit of like Arjen Robben style, maybe in the past.
“That’s for me the signature move. One-on-one body move, go inside, shot, score a goal. For me, that is [his] the strongest weapon.”
Is Johan Bakayoko ‘ready’ for the next step
Naturally, having become a linchpin of PSV’s attack, rumours of a move away this summer have surfaced. Liverpool have been linked with a £34m move.
Van den Abbeel believes, Bakayoko is ready to make the next step, and he would be capable of proving himself in England.
“I think he can make the next step. You see it with Jeremy Doku as well. Now he made the step and he is successful.
“Time will tell, but I think he would do well in England as well, or with another top level club. For him [Bakayoko], I think the next step in his evolution is trying to keep playing Champions League. Being in the team that plays Champions League, so in a top team and then from there on he can make a make a jump.
“He’s already an international now playing for Belgium, so he’s making the right steps and I think he has it all planned in his head, so I’m not going to say what he has to do. I think he himself knows what to do. He has made the right decisions until now. So I have full confidence that he will achieve his dream and he will keep making the right decisions.”
What about a move to Liverpool?
At Liverpool, Bakayoko has been identified as a potential heir to Mohamed Salah’s throne. Van den Abbeel believes you cannot compare the two. However, he has also suggested Bakayoko would be ready to make the move to Anfield.
“I think you can’t compare them. Mo Salah is Mo Salah and Bakayoko is Bakayoko. But they play in the same position, so I think Salah is a very experienced older player. Yohan is a young fresh prospect. You have to take into account that he’s still young that he still has to learn a lot.
“But I think he’s ready. I think he can play at that level. I think he can be ambitious enough to say I can play for a team like Liverpool or any other team that’s on that level.”
Tipped for a bright future
What the future holds no one can know for sure. But Van den Abbeel believes there are no limits for how far Bakayoko can go.
“He has to dream of the highest level. That’s his dream. He wants to be a top player. Maybe win the Golden Boot or the Golden Ball. So he has to go all in. He is in the right direction to becoming a top Belgian player. Where’s the ceiling? I don’t believe in ceilings. I think you have to try to put the maximum in it and then you can get the maximum out of it.
“I think for him there are no limits, but he has to make the right steps, and he has to keep developing and staying fit on the ground and then he’s going to make a very big career.”