Who is Arnaud Kalimuendo? France's next great striking prospect

Robin Bairner

24 Oct 2022 15:05 BST
9 min read

Arnaud Kalimuendo, Rennes, 2022/23 — © ProShots

Arnaud Kalimuendo is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Christopher Nkunku and Moussa Diaby by becoming the next former PSG academy star to depart Parc des Princes and make a name for himself elsewhere.

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Kalimuendo has chosen Rennes to make his home for the next big stage of his career after leaving PSG for €20 million in the summer, having impressed in two loan spells with Lens.

The striker’s form is already attracting plenty of attention and he is valued at €39m by FootballTransfers, making him the 10th most valuable player under 21 in the world.

MORE: Football's most valuable players Under-21

What position does Arnaud Kalimuendo play?

Kalimuendo plays as a centre forward. His role is typically as a shadow striker but he can also play as a poacher.

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How good is Arnaud Kalimuendo?

Kalimuendo is performing as one of the best centre forwards in Ligue 1 this season, according to data analytics company SciSports. Of the handful of players who are outperforming him, PSG’s Kylian Mbappe is one.

His strong performances have not necessarily been followed by impressive statistics this season, with a relatively modest scoring record of around one in three in France’s top flight. This, however, simply underlines that his game is about more than simply finding the net, although he did strike on 12 occasions for Lens during the 2021/22 season.

“It wasn’t frustrating to leave PSG. I knew what I wanted and the club did, too,” he told L’Equipe. “I’ve always been treated well and I leave without bitterness. It’s a source of pride to have played at the Parc and I only take positives from it.

“I knew it was going to be very hard to play. You can only progress through playing time, which I’ll find in Rennes.”

Rennes, meanwhile, are only too happy to have him.

“He’s a very interesting player when it comes to finding space,” head coach Bruno Genesio explained. “He understands how to move, when to rush into tight spaces at the right time. He understands the difficulties it gives his opponents.

“He’s also increasingly good with his back to goal. He’s developed an ability to protect it, to keep it under pressure and to turn. This makes him a complete attacker, he’s very strong at running.”