by MaddFM.
19 goals and 6 assists in 30 odd games for a 20-year-old playing for a team who finished 12th in Ligue 1 isn’t a bad way to announce yourself as an elite prospect within Europe’s Top 5 leagues, and that’s exactly what Elye Wahi has accomplished this season, averaging a goal every 130 minutes for Montpellier which led to him finishing among the league’s top scorers as well as winning the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award.
French youth football enthusiasts may not be surprised by this with Wahi jumping to notoriety as a 14-year-old at Caen wherein he scored 89 goals in the 2016/2017 season across their U14 and U15 teams, and a move to Montpellier swiftly followed a year later before signing his first professional contract in 2019.
A young Wahi @ Caen Youths vs PSG
Fast forward a few seasons and Wahi has hit back-to-back double figures in Ligue 1 for Montpellier, and recently became the second youngest player to hit the 25-goal milestone in the French top tier behind (wouldn’t you know it), Kylian Mbappé.
In terms of playing style, Wahi has proven himself to not only be a lethal finisher but also has a unique ability to score all types of goals be it short-range finishing, headers, volleys or shots from long-distance (very much illustrated by his 19 league goals versus an 11.88 XG, second only to Folarin Balogun). He uses his pace and athleticism to make direct runs into channels, frequently cutting inside and showing instinctive off the ball movement to terrorise opposition defenders; he also shows no fear in taking on a player and is equally adept with the ball at his feet, clearly evident through some of the goals scored this season.
His progress and rapid ascent this season has been remarkable in terms of impact and confidence as a natural goal-scorer, and he shot to worldwide fame in an epic encounter between Montpellier and Lyon wherein he scored 4 goals either side of half-time in a game which saw Lyon emerge 5-4 winners courtesy of a 90+10 minute penalty from Alexandre Lacazette.
In FM23, Wahi starts out as a 19-year-old with already strong all-round attributes for a striker, readily available for first-team football at Montpellier or even at most mid-tier clubs across Europe’s Top 5 leagues; already valued between 20 and 29 million euros with a contract until Summer 2025, he will not be easy to attain however if you find yourself with an excess of cash, you are looking at a VERY wise investment for what will likely be your future #9 for many years to come.
15 Pace & Acceleration, 14 Finishing, 14 Off the Ball, 14 Technique..not bad for a 19-year-old no? We all know that Football Manager gets it right 99% of the time - but the fact that he already has “Attempts Overhead Kicks” as a Player Trait from the start of the game is taking the piss surely…
In my own save at HFC Haarlem where we have reached the year 2030, Wahi has quite simply evolved to become one of the best Strikers in the game. After managing to hold onto him for 7 seasons during which he scored 135 league goals in 251 appearances, he was signed by Real Madrid for for a cool €86 million and looks to be worth every penny as he scored 17 goals in 23 appearances either side of a 3 month hip injury, not to mention winning the World Cup 2030 Golden Ball as his 8 goals and 2 assists helped France win their third ever Jules Rimet trophy following a 2-0 final win over Austria (yep).
Overall verdict: Elye Wahi is one hell of a wonderkid, both in real life where his performances this season have resulted in the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan all rumoured to be considering a bid for the Frenchman’s services this transfer window, as well as in FM23 where he is one of the top young strikers in the game and has the potential to reach elite status in any save universe. Guaranteed goal scorers are becoming rarer and rarer when it comes to Football Manager, however if you find yourself in need of a striker and with the means to spend big, you’ll do well to find a better prospect in this year’s game. Let us know if you have had Wahi in your save or if you have experienced him from the opposition bench this year in the comments below or @5StarPod on Twitter.
Thanks for reading.
Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info.
