Having established himself as one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe with Red Bull Salzburg last season, Naby Keïta reportedly rejected interest from Liverpool and Arsenal to join the Austrian side’s German sister club RB Leipzig last summer.
However, the 22-year-old’s outstanding maiden Bundesliga campaign has been so impressive that he again finds himself the subject of serious interest from the Premier League, while German champions Bayern Munich are also thought to be monitoring his situation.
Though Keïta remains relatively inexperienced at the very highest level, there are few teams in the world that he could not walk into and immediately improve – he is simply that good.
Promoted Leipzig have been labelled the most hated team in Germany thanks to their corporate ownership and circumvention of the national football federation’s 50+1 rule, designed to prevent single investors from taking over clubs. But the style with which Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side have stormed into title contention – and the fact that the team is built around a core of gifted young players – has won over many neutrals and earned the begrudging respect of detractors.
Timo Werner, Emil Forsberg and Marcel Sabitzer have all impressed for Leipzig this term and are reportedly on the wanted list of several high-profile clubs, but there is no doubt that Keïta is the crown jewel of the Red Bull Arena.
The most common comparison drawn up when discussing the ex-Salzburg star is with Chelsea’s midfield dynamo N’Golo Kanté. While Keïta is of comparable stature to the Frenchman – he stands at a little over 5ft 7in – and has a similar knack of covering ground and breaking up opposition attacks, the analogy is misleading because the Guinean is so much more than a mere destroyer.
With an average of 2.6 interceptions and 2.3 tackles per game in the Bundesliga this term, Keïta is cognisant of his defensive duties and carries them out diligently. But as a true box-to-box midfielder, his most eye-catching attributes come to the fore when transitioning from the defensive phase into attack.
Possessing outstanding close control and surprising upper-body strength, it is almost impossible to bully Keïta off the ball. As coordinated pressing becomes an ever-more vital tenet of the modern game, the diminutive midfielder’s ability to break the lines of the opposition’s press, either through incisive vertical passing or by dibbling away from his marker, is invaluable to Leipzig.
Indeed, of all the players to have featured in more than 700 minutes of Bundesliga action so far this season, only Borussia Dortmund’s Ousmane Dembélé (4.4) and Bayern pair Douglas Costa (3.7) and Arjen Robben (3.25) can better Keïta’s average of 3.2 successful take-ons per 90 minutes.
Perhaps the most startling weapon in the 22-year-old’s vast tool belt is his ability to play accurate forward passes while on the run. Without breaking stride he is able to execute defence-splitting, chance-conjuring balls, which allows him to escalate an innocuous situation into all-out attack without so much as a second’s notice.
Nicknamed “Deco” as a youngster for his stylistic resemblance to the former Barcelona and Porto playmaker, Keïta grew up dreaming of emulating four-time African player of the year Yaya Toure. With his power, creative instincts and goal threat, the 19-cap Guinea international has combined the best of both players.
The eight goals that Keïta has bagged this term have served to showcase different aspects of his skill set: the perfectly-timed break into the penalty to bag the winner against Dortmund in September; the 25-yard thunderbolt against Freiburg in November; and the mesmerising, Messi-esque dribble from the halfway line against Mainz earlier this month.
With Champions League qualification a near certainty, RB Leipzig are now focused on bridging the gap that separates them from league leaders Bayern. Keïta remains crucial to any hope they have of securing an unlikely and unprecedented top-flight title, and the club are reportedly keen to tie the magnificent midfielder down to a new contract in order to ward off potential suitors this summer.
For now, Leipzig is the best place for him to continue his rapid development, but Keïta’s trajectory is set to take him to the very top of the European game. It might not be long before he outgrows his already ambitious surroundings.
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