Bamba Dieng 2022/23: Why the Marseille striker is destined for a move to English football – scout report

22-year-old Bamba Dieng joined Olympique Marseille from FC Diambars in October 2020.

FC Diambars are a club from Senegal founded in 2003 by Patrick Vieira. His transfer to the France giants came because of a partnership between the two clubs a year earlier.

Dieng joined the Senegalese club at fourteen years of age. He was playing for the first team within three years and in the 2019/20 season scored an impressive twelve league goals, which at the time was 67% of Diambars total amount.

He made an instant impression for Marseille last season, scoring twice on his debut and securing a 2-0 victory against AS Monaco. Although he was mainly used from the substitutes bench, Jorge Sampaoli, his coach at the time, had no issues calling upon him when needed.

Now that Sampaoli has left, and Igor Tudor has taken over at the Stade Vélodrome it remains to be seen if Dieng will be given the chance to build on last season. With reported interest in him from Everton, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest, should Igor Tudor not consider Dieng to be part of plans then a move to the Premier League could be on the horizon.

In this scout report, we will provide a tactical and statistical analysis which focuses on the key components of Bamba Dieng’s game and how they have led to his positive reputation in French football and seen him linked with a move to England.

Position and Profile

Last season, Dieng has been played as a centre-forward or on the left-hand side of the two in Jorge Sampaoli’s evolving 3-4-2-1 formation. The 3-4-2-1 was the base system for Sampaoli’s tactical approach, but when the team held possession, the team attacked in a 3-1-6 or a 3-2-5 and when they lost possession the shape often resembled a 5-4-1 or a 5-2-3.

This heat map is from last season and shows the average area of the pitch that Dieng occupied and contributed to Marseille’s play. Positionally you can see how his main attacking threat is through the centre of the pitch and towards the left-hand side. He has attributes in his game which are well suited to either area of the pitch.