In late November, following a disappointing early Round One exit from this years MLS Cup Playoffs, FC Cincinnati announced its first acquisition as it turned its attention to planning for the 2025 season.
It was not just any acquisition, either.
For a transfer fee of $16.2m, it was the most expensive acquisition in Major League Soccer history.
The player in question is 24-year-old Togo international Kévin Denkey, a prolific striker from Cercle Brugge.
Denkey, who was the top scorer in the Belgian Pro League last season with 27 goals, has spent his entire club career and half of his life in Europe, playing in France and Belgium ahead of this forthcoming transfer to the United States.
This is a new challenge for one of the UEFA Conference Leagues current top marksmen — one Cincinnati fans should be very excited about.
Already boasting an attack with the likes of Luciano Acosta and Luca Orellano, adding Denkey to the frontline is the move the club will be looking to as the missing piece of the jigsaw as they aim for their first-ever MLS Cup success next year.
This scout report and player analysis will examine Kévin Denkeys profile and the qualities that Cincinnati will be looking for him to bring to TQL Stadium in the years to come.
Kévin Denkey Player Profile
Standing at 1.81m (511), Denkey is an all-around striker who, in addition to his impressive strike rate in front of goal, offers many off-the-ball contributions through his physical presence and sacrifice for his team.
These will be the two most important points throughout this piece to focus on, given that Cincinnati have lacked such a centre-forward that can post up the numbers Denkey has in Belgium, especially this year after Brandon Vázquezs departure to Monterrey.
Given his size, combined with his desire and willingness to help his teammates defensively, he will offer a different outlet altogether to the slightly smaller and less physically gifted pairing of Yuya Kubo and Orellano, who finished the year leading the attack alongside their talisman, Acosta.
Kévin Denkey Stats 2024/2025
His player radar map from this season for Cercle, above, highlights some of the attributes that Denkey will bring to the Cincinnati attack in 2025.
Undoubtedly, the area that stands out the most above is his attacking metrics.
Denkey ranks in the top 12% rega
Subscribe To TFA To Unlock All Posts - Free 7 Day Trial
Try TFA Free For 7 Days
Gain access to all of TFA's premium contents.More than 12,000+ articles.
