Paris Saint-Germain has one of the most renowned academies in the world, but their pursuit of European dominance during the Qatar owned era made it very hard for youth players to break through to the first team.
The likes of Mike Maignan, Christopher Nkunku, Kingsley Coman, Xavi Simons and many others had to leave in search of first team minutes. But the performances of Warren Zaire-Emery show that he is here to stay.
It is almost impossible to believe that we are watching a 17-year-old. Zaire-Emery is able to stay calm under pressure and shows a maturity that is far beyond his years. But to know where this comes from, we need to delve into his past.
Zaire-Emery first came under the spotlight after his performances in the UEFA Youth League as a 15-year-old. The Parisian was dominating the middle of the park against players many years older than him.
This pattern has continued throughout his young playing career. He was recently named captain of France's U21 squad, where he competes against players up to five years above his actual age group.
Playing against older and more physically developed players forces you to work on your technique and think and move quicker than the opponent. Zaire-Emery has honed his skills in such an environment.
The teenager’s impressive performances at youth level saw him enter the first team fold under Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier. But the arrival of Luis Enrique at the start of this season has seen him become an integral part of the team.
Warren Zaire-Emery’s Transfer Value (xTV) - how much is he worth?
According to FootballTransfer’s player valuation model, Zaire-Emery has a current Expected Transfer Value (xTV) of €11.7m, making him one of the most valuable U18 players in the world.
This season he has played more minutes than all but three outfield players. His growing status might lead to a call up to Didier Deschamps’ squad, and will cause his valuation to sky rocket.
Warren Zaire-Emery’s strengths and weaknesses - what does the data say?
Zaire-Emery has the skill set to play in every midfield position. This season he has mainly started in a box-to-box role alongside Vitinha and the more defensive Manuel Ugarte.
Young players tend to hide in games, but Zaire-Emery is always looking for the ball. With over 70 ball touches and 55 ball receptions per 90, he is constantly moving to offer his teammates clear passing lanes.
When in possession, he rarely gives the ball away and attempts 63.4 passes per 90 at an impressive 92% accuracy.
The Frenchman seems to have worked on his playmaking too, and is now making more key passes and has more Expected Assists than he did last season. His only major on-ball weakness is that he does not attempt many switches or long passes - but with age on his side, there is plenty of time to add that to his game.
The ability to break the opposition lines through the centre of the pitch is an invaluable attribute in a midfielder. Players can break lines with their passing, but ball carriers manage to do this while disrupting the shape of the opponent.
This is why we are seeing elite managers such as Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta have added ball carriers such as Mateo Kovacic, Dominik Szoboszlai and Declan Rice to their midfield.
Zaire-Emery is exceptional at this. He carries the ball with pace and power, and uses his great balance and strength to bounce off challenges, making him very hard to stop.
His 2.67 carries into the final third per 90 tend to disrupt the opposition by dragging them out of position while creating space for his team mates. This was on display during last week's Champions League win over AC Milan.
Zaire-Emery picks up the ball in his own half and is able to drive into the final third despite Tijjani Reijnders’ best efforts at bringing him down. He then finds Kylian Mbappe in space, who finishes well to put PSG in the lead.
Defensively, the teenager is great at ground duels but is a bit weak in the air. He is also a decent presser with great work rate, whose agility and stamina see him make over six ball recoveries and three tackles and interceptions combined per 90.
To have such a complete profile at his age is truly astonishing, and makes him the future of a new era at PSG that is being built around younger and domestic talent.
This article was provided by FootballTransfers
