Who is the young Senegalese midfielder and why is he so highly rated in Africa?
Pape Diong is an 18 year old central midfielder who plays for BlueCo-owned Strasbourg in the French first division. He began his career at AF Darou Salam and was rumoured to join Chelsea for around €20m. Diong was spotted in the owners' box at Stamford Bridge along with Chelsea new boy Kendry Paez during their cup game against Newcastle in December 2023 and later ended up appearing in training sessions with the Blues early this year. However he ended up signing his first professional contract with Chelsea sister club Strasbourg in July for a rumoured €1m fee with a further €1m in bonuses and has made one league appearance, where he played 45 minutes against Montpellier.
Profile and style of play
Pape Diong is an imposing midfielder and boasts a physically dominant 6'3 frame. Diong has impressive ball carrying and retention for his age, being able to carry the ball into the final third using his pace and physicality to keep hold of the ball. His defensive intelligence combined with his lanky frame makes him an excellent interceptor and tackler of the ball.
The 18 year-old is primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder in Liam Rosenior's 4-2-3-1 structure but has the freedom and the ability to carry the ball forwards if he needs to. He is one of the best duel winners in his age group with an impressive 62% of his defensive duels won during the U17 World Cup with Senegal, and 85% of his defensive duels won in the group stage. His most impressive match in that campaign was his performance against Poland, where he won 10 of his 15 attempted defensive ground duels, had a 100% dribble success rate and a 95% pass success rate with one key pass completed. He averaged 3.5 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game, also managing 8.2 ball recoveries per game.
Another of Diong's many strengths is his passing. During that impressive U17 World Cup campaign with Senegal, he managed a pass success rate of 78% with a pass success rate of 85% in his own half. His dribbling is immense, with an 83% dribble success rate. His linkup play is impressive and he can pull off some effective flicks and one-touch passes however he does need time to refine his game in some respects, losing possession an average of 9.2 times per match and his decision making can be poor every now and then. He is only 18 so these flaws in his game can easily be worked on with the right coaching. Being 6'3 he is naturally superior in the air, winning 100% of his aerial duels in his 45 minutes vs Montpellier. His off the ball movement is great also, knowing when to run off his marker to receive a pass and knowing when to drift into space to create an option.
Player Comparisons
It is easy to see shades of Yaya Toure and Mousa Dembele in Pape Diong, both being tall midfielders who had eye-catching technical ability and progressive play. However he has a long way to go if he is to reach those heights, being a very raw talent. Diong has appeared on the bench for most of Strasbourg's Ligue 1 matches this season but he does feature prominently in their second team where they play a slightly different style of football. Here he features mainly as a central midfielder in a 4-4-2 but has also played on the right flank. It is glaringly obvious that he is a top talent and will likely end up moving into Strasbourg's first team and eventually perhaps Chelsea, and certainly has the potential to reach the heights of Toure and Dembele.
Future and Development
Pape Diong holds absolutely massive potential and could develop into one of the best midfielders in the world. Developing at Strasbourg, surrounded by young, hungry talents and playing under an up and coming manager like Rosenior will definitely help his development massively. It was a good decision by BlueCo to buy him for Strasbourg as going to Chelsea and playing in the development squad or getting only a one year loan at Strasbourg would have hindered his development. Easing him into a worse league is the right move. It is early doors in the season and it is definitely likely that Diong gets more and more minutes in the first team, especially if Rosenior's side suffers a midfield injury blow. Ligue 1 is the perfect league for him to develop and has nurtured many top talents before him.
It would certainly be hard for Diong to break into the Chelsea first team when he inevitably makes his move there after a few seasons in France, with astonishing talent Lesley Ugochukwu being a very similar player and profile, and looking like he could get a spot in the squad after his loan spell at Southampton where he has looked impressive in the minutes he has played so far. Chelsea also houses midfield monsters Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo along with fellow Strasbourg player Andrey Santos returning from his loan in Summer 2025. Diong would certainly have to put in the hard work to develop into a starting player for a young and exciting Chelsea team.
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