Player Analysis: Emmanuel “Manu” Kouadio Koné
In the past decade, few cities have produced more talent than Paris. Born in Colombes, which is just 6 miles from the capital’s center, Emmanuel (Manu) Kone is among the next best for “City of Love.”
Marking the beginning of his professional career in Toulouse, Kone made his debut at 18 as a sub against Dijon (where Toulouse lost 2–1). This year was nothing less of a disaster for Toulouse, as they finished with just 1 point picked up in the last 18 games. Needless to say, they were relegated to League 2. This proved to help Kone’s development, as during the first half of 2020–2021 season Kone ran the league, and was scouted by Monchengladbach in Germany with a fee that now seems incredible. Gladbach put €5 million to his name in January, which was immediately followed by a loan straight back to Toulouse.
Manu’s favoured position in his career has been at the 6 or 8, sometimes in a pivot and sometimes alone. Similar to many French midfielders of recent years (Pogba, Rabiot, Kante, Camavinga, Tolisso, etc.), Kone is multi-faceted and highly rounded.
2021/22 and 2022/23
Manu dived into the 2021/2022 season straight to the deep end. Having only made 1 appearance in the top flight, you would expect an adjustment period… but for Kone that was not an option. His Gladbach debut came 5 games into the season against Dortmund, where he put in a great performance which led to a 1–0 win for Die Fohlen. From there, at only 20 years old, he was putting up consistent 90-minute showings and impressing in the Bundesliga. Kone then followed up his debut season with another well-rounded year in 2022/2023. Here are some of his stats from that year;
As you can see, Manu was already performing at the highest level for Gladbach. These performances did not go unnoticed, as he was linked with a few top clubs, including the likes of Liverpool, PSG, Bayern, Chelsea, etc.. Unfortunately for him, he picked up injuries in the summer which subtracted much of the interest.
2023–2024
As mentioned, Kone’s injuries meant he had to start the 2023–2024 season watching from the sidelines, as he missed the first 4 games. Eventually, though, he went straight back to his starting position. Looking at his heat map shows where Gladbach played him, usually on the left side of a double pivot. However, he has played in every position in the midfield many times. Transfermarkt notes down 17 starts at the 8, 2 starts at the 6, and 3 starts at the 10. Interestingly, Kone has progressed higher up the pitch since his debut season at Gladbach, where he started 16 games at the 6 and just 13 starts as an 8.
Dribbling:
Dribbling is arguably Kone’s strongest attribute. In the 2023/2024 Bundesliga season he averaged 2.13 successful take-ons p/90 (top 3%), 101.7 yards of progressive carries p/90 (top 18%), 1.9 carries into the final third p/90 (top 21%), and 2.02 fouls drawn p/90 (top 11%). The stats certainly paint a pretty picture, and the visuals laminate it. His 6'1 frame allows him to shrug past defenders like it’s nothing, while still possessing a touch that any winger would be proud of. As shown in the stats, he loves to take defenders on, and he will carry the ball with no fear. With this, he frequently does small turns and skills to beat defenders; whether that be flicks over legs, roulettes, stepovers, Cruyff turns, chops, etc. (although he does also keep it very simple most of the time).
Kone sometimes uses his frame to turn defenders, but he prefers to avoid much contact with the defender (which could be seen as a flaw).
Defending:
As mentioned previously, Kone has shifted forward throughout his time at Gladbach. However, this doesn’t mean he isn’t still very skilled defensively. Manu averaged 3.46 tackles and interceptions during the latest season and won a staggering 68% of his challenges against dribblers (the latter puts him in the top 1% for midfielders in the Bundesliga). In fact, in the match against the Bundesliga’s top team Leverkusen, Kone was tasked with a direct matchup against Florian Wirtz (who had been having a stellar season). In this game, the French midfielder switched to the right side of the midfield, when he had previously been playing on the left. This shows Seoane’s (Gladbach coach) trust in Kone’s defensive capabilities.
Due to his height, Kone is skilled with stretching out and pipping the ball from the player on the ball. He makes it look easy and effortless to take control. These are some examples of him successfully reaching out to steal the ball from his opponent:
With his height, he also possesses a strong and heavy body. He is never afraid to go into tackles using his full body to win the ball (often knocking down opponents) and can be extremely aggressive. At times this has cost him, as he committed 1.6 fouls p/90 during the season, and has picked up 26 yellows in just 80 games during his time in the Bundesliga.
He also has incredible stamina, which is necessary for the 8 role that he predominantly plays. He racked up an average of 6.4 ball recoveries p/90 during the season. All of these skills allow his team to play aggressively, with his team pressing and staying on the front foot.
Passing:
Although not his main strength, Kone’s passing is nothing to look over. In the first two seasons at Gladbach, he was much more of a deep-lying playmaker (at the 6) for his team, rather than the 8 he is more often now. In the 2022/2023 season he averaged 41 passes p/90, 201 yards progressive pass distance p/90 (top 34%), and 4.8 passes into the final third p/90 (top 13%). However, in his recent year with Gladbach he has been asked to take a different approach and is more focused on his ball progression and aggressive pressing. In the 2023/2024 season, you can see he was much more simple with his passing, nearly halving his average progressive passing yards with 127, and only attempting 2.5 long passes per game (bottom 7%). Albeit the stats don’t show improvement with his passing, he still averaged 1.38 key passes p/90 and showed off some impressive passing range (which is hard to depict with images).
Tactical Responsibility, and Where He Could Play Next
With Kone’s wide variety of skills and strengths, Seoane has him playing an all-action 8.
As you can see, Gladbach greatly benefits from Kone’s great defensive attributes. He is able to help his team press up the field, while also having the endurance to come back and defend his box.
Not only is Kone skilled at creating and helping a press for his team, he is also amazing at taking the pressure off of his team when under a press.
As shown in these screenshots, and the stats, Kone is a perfect asset for helping a team get out of a press. Coupled with dribbling, he is also capable of passes into space that start counterattacks.
To summarize, Kone’s press-resistant qualities and press-enabling strengths let his team play in an aggressive and pinning manner. As is extremely common in the Bundesliga, Gladbach are always looking for ways to win the ball in the opponent’s half. If it weren’t for Kone’s ability to press and track back, the forceful system wouldn’t work. A good word to describe Kone’s role is enabler, and while that doesn’t catch the headlines, it is pivotal to a team’s success. Not only is he needed by his team for his play as an 8, but he is massively important for his ability to play in any other midfield role. As mentioned before, he has played countless games as a lone 6, and even had his time playing as a 10. Kone is the Swiss knife that selflessly helps in any way possible.
As for what teams could use the talented dexterity possessed by Kone… It’s hard to mention a club that would not find a use in him. Liverpool could use him for his ball-winning; Atlanta for his pressing; Bayern for his ball progression; Manchester United could use him for anything right now… it’s easy to keep going.
Overall, to put it into simple words, anyone can expect Kone to get his flowers at a big club soon. As of right now, it only seems like a matter of time.
Stats and images provided by: fbref, SofaScore, Bundesliga