Mourinho can rescue 'biggest talent since Ousmane Dembele' in January

Tom Weber

• Updated: 18 Dec 2023 20:53 GMT
• 3 min read

Record-breaking wonderkid Desire Doue is having a tough time at Stade Rennais.

The 18-year-old, who became the first player born in 2005 to score a goal in Europe's top five leagues in 2022, looked destined for the very top after his breakout season last term. This time around, however, the youngster mostly finds himself on the bench and could be forced to look for a January exit.

Rennes have made a name for themselves in recent years as a veritable talent factory, producing the likes of Eduardo Camavinga, Mathys Tel, Lesley Ugochukwu and, of course, Ousmane Dembele. Doue should be the next player in that illustrious list - and he is regarded as the most promising prospect since Dembele - but he is just not getting the necessary minutes to show off his talents.

The Breton side have been in a bit of a crisis this season. Perhaps due to their Europa League commitments, the team, despite being stacked with talent, are only hovering three points above the Ligue 1 relegation play-off spot, currently occupied by Lyon. Bruno Genesio recently departed and has been replaced with Julien Stephan, who has not favoured Doue at all.

Doue could look for a change of scenery

The youngster should be getting similar game time to other French wonderkids of his generation such as Warren Zaire-Emery and the aforementioned Tel, but it doesn't appear to be forthcoming anytime soon. As pointed out by Footmercato, the fact that Doue has only started five games for Rennes all season could force him to consider a change of scenery in January as he will have no shortage of suitors.

A departure would be a blow to Stade Rennais who landed a coup when they managed to tie the youngster down to a new deal last year and convinced him to stay in the summer despite concrete interest from England and Germany. But who could he sign for?

Given that he has barely featured this term, his reputation has taken a bit of a hit. His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has declined from a peak of €19 million earlier in the year to €15m and data experts SciSports believe that he is not yet ready for Europe's elite despite his significant potential.

Consulting SciSports' Career Advice tool, we can see that Jose Mourinho's AS Roma would be his best transfer option, with his development expected to benefit from playing in Serie A. Premier League side Wolves would also be a good destination for him and SciSports believe that his prospects of getting regular minutes would be even greater than in Rome.