Last summer, Brighton signed an 18-year-old from Swedish side IFK Gothenburg, with people knowing little to nothing about him.
A couple of academy games later, he was out on loan to Sturm Graz, an Austrian team with big ambitions of taking over the Austrian Bundesliga, under Christian Ilzer’s reign (remember this name, he will be mentioned later on).
Yalcouyé was a regular for Sturm both in the Bundesliga and Champions League, playing primarily out wide due to his physical frame.
Did this stop the world from seeing his outstanding technical quality? Absolutely not – as he was named ‘best newcomer’ for 24/25, as Sturm went on to win the league.
Where and how does Yalcouyé excel?
As mentioned, Yalcouyé has usually been played in wider positions, due to him not quite possessing the physical quality to play in his preferred position: 6/8.
But what he lacks in physicality, he makes up for in almost flawless technical ability.
The youngster is a magician, with a footballing brain even Pascal Gross himself would be proud of. Nimble, quick thinking and incredible vision, Yalcouyé will be a nice tool to use against low blocks in the Premier League, take his assist against Stoke in pre-season for example.
This type of action sums up Yalcouyé perfectly.
Scans 2-3 times before he receives the ball, and then in possession, before he even receives the ball, he knows what his next action is. Sees Rutter darting off in behind, and takes out three players with one expertly weighted pass.
Malick can truly be a special player, with a maturity well above his years. A source close to Yalcouyé, even says he seems to have bulked up, and is looking stronger. Even overlooking the physicality issue, we believe he can avoid this problem because of his speed of thought/ speed of action, and spatial awareness, too. He loves to drift into pockets and is pretty good at playing one and two-touch football.
Even so, the young Malian does have some nice ball-winning capabilities. Some class him as a Baleba replacement, and whilst he does have similar qualities, such as elite ground coverage, I don’t think the comparison is correct. As one once said:
“30% of the earth is covered by land. The rest? Malick Yalcouyé”
What’s next for young Malick?
Malick had an outstanding year for Sturm and proved he was on a level above the one he was at.
We wanted to bring him home in January, but the source close to him stated he wanted to finish the season with Sturm. A good choice, given the arrival of Diego Gomez, the prime emergence of Yasin Ayari and the form of local-boy Jack Hinshelwood.
The midfielder has no shortage of suitors for 25/26, with former manager Christian Ilzer a big fan of his, now at Hoffenheim after leaving Sturm Graz in 2024, swapping ‘Bundesligas’. Not only Hoffenheim, but several other German clubs are interested, as well as clubs in Ligue 1.
First, he can prove he can be an important option for next season in the month ahead.
Performances like his cameo against Stoke, and masterclass against Las Palmas will go very far and be very appreciated by head coach Fabian Hürzeler.
My verdict? Whilst he may struggle with the physical aspect at first, he will adapt. Very hard worker both in/out of possession, constantly demands the ball, whilst also will work hard to win it back. He can, as mentioned, be a handy tool against low blocks.
But as reported two days ago, Malick is set to be sent out on loan for the forthcoming season. I for sure will be keeping a stern eye out for him. Who knows, he could well be the next £100 million superstar from the South Coast.
Malick Yalcouyé nation, arise.
