16. Seko Fofana

Manchester City’s rise to the top tier of football saw them spend exorbitant amounts on
world-class players, but they also concurrently picked out the best youngsters across the
globe to join their Elite Development Squad (EDS). As a result of this, several youngsters
have a City education to their name, including the likes of Denis Suarez, John Guidetti, Karim
Rekik and Marcos Lopes. Seko Fofana belongs to this group of players: having spent time on
the books of City, he is now establishing himself at Udinese, in a league where young players
are granted chances. His career uptil this point has been prefect in terms of progression,
and Udinese are a platform to continue his steady, yet rapid growth.
Born in Paris, Fofana begun his career at the city’s other club, Paris FC, spending six years
there between 2004 and 2010. He then moved to Lorient, where he spent a couple of years
before being snapped up by the City Under 21 side in the winter of 2013. He took his time to
acclimatize, playing five games in the U21 PL Qualifications, scoring one goal in 280 minutes.
The 2013/14 season was when his development started to progress well with gametime for
the U21 side. Six goals and six assists in 1736 minutes in the age-level league was
supplemented by two goals in 572 minutes in the UEFA Youth League. It was evident that he
needed a higher level of football, and after two goals in 613 minutes the following year,
Fofana was sent to Fulham in the Championship, where he played 1148 minutes with a
solitary goal, a considerable amount seeing as he joined them in November that year.
He was solid at Fulham, providing a body in midfield, even though the diamond employed
by Kit Symons did not allow him to truly flourish. The promise he displayed was enough for
City to decide he needed top-tier football, and off he went for his second loan spell to Bastia
in the Ligue 1. It was in this season that he played the most in a single season, playing 2392
minutes with one goal and two assists. Alternating across the three midfield positions, he
found himself a regular member of the matchday squad, and it is that experience that
allowed him to continue his progress as a midfield. There was no rapid breakthrough as a
young talent, symbolic of his style as a player, but rather a series of steps on the ladder
towards success.
From Man City U21 to Fulham and then Bastia in three consecutive years, it was obvious
that Fofana would not find gametime in a star-studded City squad. He needed a stable
environment to develop as a player, rather than destabilizing loans, as young players at City
usually undergo. Fofana thus broke through from City and joined Udinese, a club famous for
developing unknown players into quality footballers.
Signing for around €3.5 million, Fofana started the first two games of the 2016-17 campaign,
but then found himself on the bench courtesy of Giuseppe Iachini. This would be reversed
after Udinese sacked Iachini on account of poor performances (seven points in seven
games), replacing him with Luigi Delneri. That saw him establish himself in the first XI,
playing the full 90 in 14 consecutive games. One of those games included a brace in the 3-1
victory over Palermo, with both goals coming off the counter attack. Five goals and an assist
through the course of the season is promising productivity, especially as he only played
1824 minutes, missing the last eleven games of the season with a fractured fibula.

Making the transition from a defensive midfielder to a box-to- box midfielder, that has
directly impacted his impact on games. Through the blending of his technical ability and his
power lies a talented midfielder, able to charge through the midfield. Comparisons could
arise with another Ivorian, Manchester City player, Yaya Toure, and those comparisons are
not unwarranted. Fofana provides the team with quality in the middle of the park. A passing
accuracy of 86% across his career shows he is steady, if unspectacular, in rotating the ball in
midfield, generally picking the safe pass. His dribbling, a major part of his goals, is one of his
strengths, something that suits his identity as a box-to- box midfielder. It is that identity that
helps to explain why his tackling is left wanted: while he started off as DM, his true calling is
at CM, and his aversion to tackling is part of that reason. He also prefers the odd long shot.
One bright side of his game is his discipline, picking up only twelve yellow cards in the last
four years, and just the one red card at Bastia. That is helped by his relatively non-
combative nature, but is still key when young players sometimes lose their heads for
petulance.
Udinese are powered by their young core of eclectic talents: of whom Jakub Jankto is the
most well known. But they also have the likes of Samir Caetano, Antonin Barak and Simone
Scuffet. Seko Fofana is part of this young crew, using Udinese as a platform to further their
ambitions. With 569 minutes and a goal so far this season, he is set to continue being an
integral part of the Zebrette. And with time will come the definite call-up from the Ivory
Coast national side. Two promising seasons in the Serie A should be enough to get him a
move to one of the league’s bigger clubs: whether it be Milan or Roma, with whom he has
been linked in the past. One fact is for certain: Fofana’s steady rise does not end here, it is
only the start of a burgeoning career that is set to make him one of Africa’s best players in
the future.

By: Rahul Warrier/@rahulw_

Picture: @AlexFoxx