Scouting Report: Jérôme Onguéné

The Red Bull Salzburg production line shows no signs of slowing down. The Austrian Bundesliga side are the market experts in buying young, talented players from lesser-scouted regions and selling them on to teams in the so-called ‘Big Five’ leagues for a hefty profit. The German Bundesliga alone has seen an influx of nine Salzburg players over the last two summer transfer windows and it would be reasonable to assume this summer will see a few more follow suit.

One strong candidate is Jérôme Onguéné, the 22-year-old Cameroonian centre-back who came through the ranks at French side FC Sochaux-Montbéliard before arriving in Austria via a six-month spell in Germany with VfB Stuttgart. He has become a key part of Jesse Marsch’s side in a season that has featured a memorable Champions League campaign and a serious threat to their league dominance from LASK Linz.

Onguéné tends to go under the radar at times as the style of play that has become synonymous with Salzburg and the Red Bull football brand in general does not always reserve praise for the defence, with the focus instead on pressing high up the pitch and attacking with speed. This can leave the defence overexposed when possession is lost, as reflected in the 26 goals conceded from 22 league games this season.