AC Milan could add a winger to the squad in January and Maghnes Akliouche, who plays for Monaco, has been mentioned as a target. However, being just 22 years old, it’s understandable that Rossoneri fans know little about him.
The links first emerged yesterday as Gazzetta dello Sport spoke about Milan’s interest, stating that one of Samuel Chukwueze and Noah Okafor could leave to make space. To many of the fans, however, Maghnes Akliouche is just a name.
So, as the pink newspaper highlights today, who is Akliouche? How good is he? Can he make a difference in Italy? The first two questions can be answered, while we would need a crystal ball for the third one.
In any case, Akliouche was born in 2002 and has Algerian origins like his idol: Zinedine Zidane. He grew up in the suburbs of Paris, he played at Torcy just like Paul Pogba and joined Monaco at 15 years old. A chance for him to grow and perhaps even get playing time against adults.
He ended up making his debut for the first team in October 2021, when he was just 19 years old, and first started getting regular playing time in the 2023-24 season. On the pitch, he has an aesthetic sense and it’s clear that Zidane has been an idol of his.
Andres Iniesta is another player he fell in love with, while Cesc Fabregas – who played at Monaco when Maghnes was moving from the youth sector to the first team – was also a great reference…
“He’s the player who impressed me the most. He played walking, he saw everything and, with two touches, he put the ball where he wanted. He often told me to play simple, that you have to be free in your head and not put unnecessary pressure on yourself,” Akliouche said about the Spaniard.
The winger certainly knows the art of dribbling but he has other qualities as well: he’s 10th for progressive passes and 5th for expected assists in Ligue 1.
Another Arsenal and Barcelona phenomenon, namely Thierry Henry, called him up for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He played all the time, coming in and out of the starting lineup, and he scored a goal in the only game he lost (the final, which ended 5-3 for Spain in extra time).
Last season, he scored seven goals in Ligue 1 and one in the French Cup. This season, he has two in tLigue 1 and two in the Champions League, including a celebration against Barcelona, one of his favorite clubs.
The rest can also be seen in the highlights: he has great ball control, he carries the ball around with his left foot and finds solutions starting from the wing or the center. He’s not a finished player, he’s not yet decisive but he has great potential. Milan, at the right price, might accept the challenge.
