Mohamed Ben Romdhane scout report: Why UCL clubs are following the 21-year-old ES Tunis midfielder

After being the second-top scorer of the CAF Champions League with five goals playing as a central midfielder, Mohamed Ben Romdhane has attracted plenty of interest from clubs like Lille, Olympique Marseille, Galatasaray and Besiktas.

The 21-year-old Tunisian player has had a fantastic season for his home-country club ES Tunis and at the moment he’s one of the hottest properties in African football. In this tactical analysis, we’ll see what he could bring to his new club in Europe and what he needs to develop to become a fully dominant midfielder. 

Player overview

Ben Romdhane is a right-footed central midfielder who can play in a variety of positions and roles in midfield depending on the tactics his team uses. Usually the most attacking player in a midfield three, he could also adapt to playing in a double pivot or as the 10 in a 4-2-3-1. What’s clear is that he needs at least one and usually two midfielders playing behind him to take full advantage of his range of movement and attacking threat.

Physically, Ben Romdhane stands at 185cm / 6’1’’ and is very coordinated and elegant in his movements. He has a good pace thanks to his long legs and can cover big distances at a good speed effortlessly.

Two basic stats help us understand Ben Romdhane’s playing style. On the ball, he usually moves the ball quickly from side to side, using his great technique to keep the attacks fluid and get the ball to the wingers in good conditions. After that, he’s excellent at running into the box and getting into scoring positions. His passing accuracy of 88% combined with his 0.28 goals from 0.23 xG per 90 reinforce this analysis.

In defence, he works hard but is the least defensive-minded player in ES Tunis’ midfield. He uses his long legs very well to recover the ball and has all the conditions to become a box-to-box midfielder who can help in all aspects of the game. 

In the next sections of the tactical analysis, we’ll have a deeper look into some of the key aspects of Ben Romdhane’s playing style.

Accelerating the attacks

As we mentioned in the previous section of this scout report, Ben  Romdhane is usually the most advanced central midfielder in his team. This means he usually stays between the lines, patiently waiting to receive the ball and accelerate the attacks from there. As a highly technical player, he can also drop deep when his team is struggling in the build-up but does better in more advanced positions. 

Ben Romdhane’s first touch and body shape when receiving between the lines are excellent. He can easily turn and face the goal with simple and elegant touches before rivals can press him. Once he turns, he can either run with the ball and carry it forward with his great technique and long legs or play quick switch long/medium passes to the wings to then continue his runs into the box. He reads the game very well to switch the play and create space and time for him to get into scoring positions.

The sequence below illustrates this positioning behind the rival pressing line and how he then accelerates the attack. In the first picture, ES Tunis are being pressed in their box and Ben Romdhane gets himself into the free space behind the pressing rivals, creating a passing lane. In the second one, we see him after receiving, turning and running forward with the ball. In the exact moment shown, he’s shielding the ball from the rival before passing the ball into the run of the winger, setting up a good attacking play.

Despite his size and physicality suggesting the opposite, Ben Romdhane is a skilled dribbler with excellent technique and creativity to get away from rivals and play in tight spaces. He’s very elegant and likes to show his ability, much in the line of other North African players like Man City’s Riyad Mahrez or Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech, both in the EPL.