Name: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Age: 23
Club: Saint-Etienne
Position: Forward
Nationality: Gabonese
It is now a little over twelve months since Saint Etienne parted with around £1.5 million to secure the services of then 22-year-old striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It is a deal that may turn out to be one of the most profitable in the history of the Stephanois club.
Aubameyang is now hot property. From perennial AC Milan loanee, Aubameyang has transformed himself into an important first-team player for Les Verts and, with 17 league goals to his name this season, is well on his way to firing his side to a place in next year's Champions League. It has been a remarkable rise to prominence that few could have predicted when the Gabon international was spending his late teenage years trotting around France, moving from one unremarkable loan spell to the next.
The son of 80-cap Gabonese star Pierre Aubameyang, who spent much of his career playing in the French leagues, Aubameyang Jr is just another example of a talent who was almost lost in the wasteful excesses of a big club's academy. It is a topic that has been discussed recently in this column and there are few better examples of the potential wastage of talent than Aubameyang's spell at the San Siro outfit.
Only this week, having scored 33 league goals since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, the persistent rumours of Aubameyang's impending departure from the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard have grown considerably. Newcastle are said to have had a bid of over €10 million rejected in January for his services, while Tottenham and Arsenal are also reportedly among his Premier League suitors. Qatari-financed PSG have been mooted as a possible destination within Ligue 1, while the latest club to supposedly join the chase are Italian giants Inter. This week's reports have the Nerazzurri currently leading the chase for his signature come June.
With a summer of frantic transfer activity no doubt ahead, there can be little doubt then that the Gabonese international will be among the most sought-after talents in European football and it is easy to see why.
The most startling attribute that Aubameyang has to offer is pace and it is a commodity that, when combined with footballing talent, remains sought-after the world over. Luckily for Aubameyang, talent is also something he offers in abundance, particularly when it comes to the instinctive finishing of chances. A versatile forward, he has thrived in a vibrant Saint-Etienne attacking unit this season that has offered him a variety of ways to influence the game. With Brazilian target-man Brandao leading the line with aplomb, Aubameyang has been able to feed off the powerful forward in central areas, as well as to venture to the flanks on a regular basis. Once considered an out-and-out right winger, it is from these areas that he has also contributed eight goals this season.
It is this ability to play a variety of roles in the attacking third of the pitch that adds considerably to his value as a potential recruit. Still relatively young, he is a proven goalscorer in what is a major European league, he has the ability to take on opponents with the ball at his feet and, of course, provides chances for others. It is a package of abilities that few can claim to rival at present. Furthermore, given his physical and technical abilities, it is a relatively simple task to pick out a role in which he would be suited within all of the sides linked with his services.
A confident individual, with an extravagant nature, Aubameyang is not the type to dwell on mistakes. It was his missed penalty that saw Gabon miss out on a place in the semi-finals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations which they hosted. The striker quickly put the mistake behind him to finish the season well at club level before impressing at the summer's Olympic Games. As club manager Christophe Galtier put it, during a run of games when the striker failed to score, self doubt "doesn't seem like his sort of thing to do". He is an extraverted individual and his performances and personality have been the true inspiration for Saint-Etienne's form this season.
Newspaper reports indicate that Les Verts are seeking a fee in the region of €18 million for his services and, while they may not get their initial asking price, there will be a number of clubs looking to make their move at around the €15 million mark. There is a risk involved in such a deal, that goes without saying, but the smart money would be on Aubameyang continuing the recent trend of young Ligue 1 talent adapting seamlessly to life in foreign climbs.
With a footballing father to turn to for advice, two seasons of high level performances under his belt and no shortage of self belief, most suitors will consider the Gabonese a relatively safe long-term bet. It is now seemingly inevitable that he will move this summer, it is simply a question of in which direction he will ultimately head.
For further discussion on any of the players featured in The Scout's Notebook, Christopher can be found on Twitter - @chris_elastico. More of his work profiling rising talents can also be found at TheElastico.com.