Under Olivier Pantaloni’s leadership, Lorient look set for an immediate return to Ligue 1 following their relegation last season.
The Breton side currently sit top of Ligue 2 at the time of writing, three points clear of second-placed Paris FC and four ahead of Metz in third.
Their positive 2024/25 campaign has been thanks in no small part to 18-year-old goalscorer Eli Junior Kroupi (179cm / 5’10”, 70kg / 154lbs).
The young Frenchman is the top goalscorer in France’s second tier, having netted on 17 occasions in 25 appearances at the time of writing.
Kroupi’s performances earned him a winter move to Premier League side Bournemouth for a €13m transfer fee.
However, he’s remaining with Lorient until summer, when Les Merlus hope he’ll have helped reinstate them to the top flight before embarking on a new journey to the EPL.
This scout report and player analysis aims to explain why Bournemouth was so keen to sign Kroupi in February.
It outlines Kroupi’s key strengths and how he’s torn Ligue 2 apart this season.
We believe Bournemouth has found a bargain in the Lorient attacker, and this analysis will show why the Cherries have done well in getting Kroupi on their books.
Who Is Eli Junior Kroupi?
Our first section will outline Eli Junior Kroupi’s style of play and what can broadly be expected from the 18-year-old.
Eli Junior Kroupi Heat Map
Kroupi has mainly played as a left-sided forward this season, with the majority of his minutes being registered as a ‘centre-forward’ due to him playing the left striker role in Lorient’s 4-4-2.
The 18-year-old has also played the centre-forward role in a 4-3-3 on a few occasions this term but has mostly lined up on the left wing when Lorient have gone with that system—a more common occurrence in recent games compared to earlier in the season.
Even when playing on the left of a front three, Kroupi does not tend to get very wide.
He can most accurately be categorised as a left inside forward who prefers to cut inside early rather than drive down the wing.
Kroupi works best when played alongside a more physical forward who’s happier to sit higher.
This allows the youngster to drift in between the lines, whether that’s on the left of a three or a two.
Eli Junior Kroupi Radar Map
Kroupi stands out for his shot volume and goal contribution—expected and actual—in the attacking metrics.
At the same time, he ranks highly in all ‘possession’ metrics when compared with his positional peers in similar leagues to his this term.
Indeed, the Lorient forward is capable of creating more than most centre-forwards at his level, but he’s still much more of a goalscorer than a creator.
If he does set a teammate up for a chance, it’s more likely to be a through pass from a fairly central area or as a result of a dribble than a cross.
Still, most of the time when he cuts inside from the left onto his far stronger right foot, we can expect Kroupi to be lining up a shot at goal.
His high ranking in passes/received passes above results from his tendency to drop off from the backline and link up with the midfield.
The Frenchman frequently receives the ball in between the lines and likes to combine with teammates from those positions.
He can create space for teammates when doing so by drawing defenders out from the backline in his pursuit or just generally attracting opposing players towards him via his ‘gravity’ on the ball—enhanced by the threat he poses in space.
Eli Junior Kroupi Dribbling
Kroupi is not a very high-volume dribbler, yet his dribbling is one of the biggest strengths in his game.
He will often pick the ball up quite centrally rather than out wide—even when played as a left-winger—meaning he doesn’t often have a large amount of space to exploit on the ball.
Nevertheless, he’s been able to showcase his dribbling skills this term primarily via his close control and agility, which have helped him evade tackles and carve out opportunities for himself and others.
After receiving the ball, Kroupi turns towards the onrushing defender and quickly decides to knock the ball away slightly to his right and brace for impact.
As play moves on, we see that Kroupi has taken the ball out of the defender’s path and drawn a foul from the aggressor, winning his side a free-kick inside the opposition’s half.
Kroupi is a strong asset at the Ligue 2 level when it comes to drawing fouls and winning free kicks—and, indeed, penalties—for his team, thanks to the quick-thinking and agility we see on display above.
Eli Junior Kroupi Ball Progression Map
Above, we see how so many of Kroupi’s dribbles—especially the successful ones—are clustered in a specific area to the left of the ‘D’ of his opponents’ box.
Plenty more also occurred a bit more centrally again, with very few coming from wide areas.
This is exactly where we can expect the most activity and chance creation originating from the incoming Bournemouth man.
Eli Junior Kroupi Chance Creation
Speaking of chance creation, let’s take a look at Kroupi’s shot assists.
Eli Junior Kroupi Shot Assists Map
With most of Kroupi’s shot assists coming from the left half-space, the attacker has made two actual assists this term, pretty much matching his 1.98 xA.
While one of his assists came from deeper and more central than most of the passes shown above, the move itself was typical of his game.
Initially, we see the left forward dropping off from the Metz backline into some space in attacking midfield.
After receiving the ball, the teenage talent pulls off a slick one-two with a teammate beside him to get himself running towards goal with the ball.
Kroupi gets his head up, spots the next pass, and splits Metz’s backline open while playing his strike partner, Mohamed Bamba, on goal to finish.
Kroupi’s movement into midfield and quick link-up play to set up a chance-creation opportunity are exemplified here as common aspects of his game.
In this case, he also shows his key passing ability to set up his strike partner very nicely to level things up late on.
Eli Junior Kroupi Goalscoring
Lastly, we’ll analyse Kroupi’s shooting and goalscoring ability—the main skill that made him a force to be reckoned with in the French second tier in 2024/25.
Eli Junior Kroupi Shots Map
Looking at Figure 8, we can primarily see a solid shot selection from Kroupi, leading to a decent 0.15 xG per shot.
The 18-year-old has taken 59 open play shots this term at the time of writing, scoring 11 non-penalty goals from 9.06 non-penalty xG.
Many of his shots have come from relatively close range, but Kroupi is also definitely not afraid to back himself from afar.
Long shots are another significant strength in the soon-to-be Bournemouth player’s game, with three of his 11 non-penalty Ligue 2 goals this term coming from outside the box, as shown above.
The vast majority of the 18-year-old’s shots have come from the left, and it’s becoming something of a trademark in Kroupi’s game to cut in from the left onto his stronger right foot, open his body and curl the ball towards the far corner.
Sometimes, Kroupi will sacrifice accuracy for power, leading to the ball going high and/or wide.
However, he has an excellent ability to place the ball into the corners of the net with power, which has paid off numerous times this term.
Here, we see the forward readying himself to receive a through pass in behind the opposition’s defence after timing his run well to remain onside.
The youngster received, carried the ball forward and got his head up to pick his spot early.
After carrying for another couple of steps, Kroupi opened his body and sent the ball beyond the goalkeeper, curling it around the opposition stopper.
This attack showcases the forward’s ability in 1v1 situations.
Here, Kroupi demonstrated confidence and composure by getting his head up to pick his spot early, sticking to that early choice, and executing well.
Ultimately, the youngster’s all-around centre-forward play was great, and his well-timed run and great first touch set the opportunity up.
Conclusion
Overall, Kroupi represents an exciting young left-inside forward/second-striker who is comfortable dropping off between the lines, picking up the ball, dribbling at the opposition defence, or creating for a teammate from the left half-space.
The Lorient youngster has a relatively similar profile to Amine Gouiri, who moved from Rennes to Marseille in winter.
Of course, Kroupi is not at the same level as Gouiri right now, but it does bear stylistic similarities.
The 18-year-old has easily been one of Ligue 2’s brightest talents this term, which bodes well for his potential.
The French second tier has a history of producing talent, and Kroupi may well be the next budding star to make his name in Ligue 2.
