De Zerbi thinks new Marseille signing Gouiri could become top striker

Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi is trying to convince new signing Amine Gouiri that he can become one of the best strikers in Europe.

Gouiri scored two outstanding goals and played a part in the other three when Marseille routed Saint-Etienne 5-1 in Ligue 1 last Saturday. Gouiri also has three assists in the three games he's played since joining from Rennes for 22 million euros ($23 million) in the January transfer window.

"He is not entirely aware of his strengths, the qualities he has. I try to give him this self-belief," De Zerbi said Friday ahead of Marseille's Ligue 1 game at Auxerre on Saturday. "He reminds me of the great No. 9s, like Gonzalo Higuain, in terms of his movement, of making the team play. Amine has everything to be one of the best European center forwards, he just has to believe in it."

The 24-year-old Gouiri, who now plays for Algeria, was considered one of the biggest prospects in French soccer when he was the tournament's top scorer with France at the European Under-17 Championship in 2017. One year later he suffered a serious knee injury playing for Lyon.

After leaving Lyon for Nice, he joined Rennes in the summer of 2022 for 28 million euros ($29.3 million), scoring a career-high 15 league goals that season.

He's comfortable in a central striker's role but can also ghost in from wide left or probe from deep, making his runs very difficult for defenders to read. Gouiri's silky play also makes him easy to combine with on rapid attacks.

Maybe that's also the problem.

De Zerbi thinks Gouri's wide repertoire and natural versatility could be working against him, and that he now needs to fine-tune his game to become a pure finisher.

"He has the qualities of a No. 10 (playmaker)," De Zerbi said. "But in front of goal he must have the efficiency of a nine, he must always position himself well in relation to the goal."

Marseille is second in Ligue 1 and trails unbeaten leader Paris Saint-Germain by 10 points.

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