Bundesliga
Eintracht Frankfurt have won the race to sign French forward Jean-Mattéo Bahoya. bundesliga.com has the lowdown on one of the hottest young properties in the game...
Stats correct as of 25 January 2024
Age: 18
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Left winger/ second striker/ false No.9
Country: France (six youth caps)
Key stats
Bahoya switches to Frankfurt with his senior career very much in its infancy. He's signed a deal through to summer 2029, not even 12 months since making his first-team debut for an Angers outfit he joined at 14. The 5'9" forward went on to feature 11 times during the second half of 2022/23, kicking things off with a five-minute cameo in a Ligue 1 meeting with Lyon.
Aged 17, Bahoya made his full debut in a home loss to Paris Saint-Germain, but it was Paris FC against whom he scored his first pro goal following Angers' relegation to Ligue 2. That was one of five strikes across 19 league fixtures prior to his January 2024 move to Frankfurt. The France U19 international also chipped in with two assists.
Plays a bit like: Jadon Sancho
Bahoya tends to operate as an inverted left winger, capable of going on the outside or gliding inside onto his preferred right foot as Jason Sancho used to do in his early days at Borussia Dortmund. The way he breezes past opposition players is also reminiscent of the English winger - and he can back it all up with a decisive pass or confident finish.
Did you know?
The turbo-charged Bahoya is one of the most coveted young players in the European game, with AC Milan and Arsenal among the clubs reported to have shown a real interest in the teenager in recent years.
"No one was surprised when AC Milan offered us one million for Jean-Mattéo when he was still 16. He's been on the radar of a number of clubs for a while," said Angers sporting director Laurent Boissier.
What they're saying
"Jean-Mattéo Bahoya is one of the most promising young talents in France, and fits the profile we were looking for. His pace and directness in the final third will be a boon for our attack." - Markus Krösche, Frankfurt board member for sport