The Elye Wahi rocket may not stop.
Holder for two seasons on the side of Montpellier, the young Frenchman (20 years old) asserts himself as one of the best attackers in the championship.
Already author of 10 achievements in 33 games last year, he seems to have passed a milestone and already has 12 goals this season.
A progression which owes nothing to chance and which rewards awareness as well as work behind the scenes.
This Friday (9:00 p.m.) against OM, he will be the main danger to watch for the Marseille defense.
To discover
Calendar and results Ligue 1
League 1 standings
Spotted very quickly in the youth categories, Elye Wahi could have seen his career never take off.
Dismissed from the SM Caen training center for disciplinary reasons, he had the chance to see Montpellier reach out to him.
Since then, he has thanked the Hérault club by scoring more and more goals.
After the departure of Gaetan Laborde in the summer of 2021, it was he who became the leader of the Montpellier attack, with great success despite his young age.
Constant improvement
It was however not won at the beginning.
If his talent, and in particular his speed, was obvious to everyone, he did not escape criticism from Michel Der Zakarian: “
He lacks determination and the desire to hurt the opponent.
Even on his own, he could have sought to eliminate and then hit, but it lacks character
”declared his current coach, who is also the one who launched him into the deep end, in 2021. If the progress is notable, he continues to warn him today: “
He has evolved, is more mischievous, but he must strive to work harder.
It has significant room for improvement.
He walks too often.
He needs to run more, be on the move more often.
»
On
France Bleu Hérault
, the player himself recognizes the efforts he had to make: “
I became aware of certain things.
On the pitch, I try to give my all, to be the best (…) Eat well, drink well, sleep well.
I train a little more, too.
Before, I didn't have the head to go to work.
But now, if I have free time, that's what I do.
I took a liking to work, to effort.
And it pays off.
This season he regularly plays all the matches and manages his efforts much better to be able to be decisive at the right time.
The beneficial return of Michel der Zakarian
By scoring 5 goals in the first 9 games of the season, Elye Wahi gave the impression of being truly launched.
However, like his team, the next 15 games were much more complicated, with only 3 goals.
But now, the return of Der Zakarian on the Paillade side has given him wings.
In his last 5 games, he has simply scored 5 goals to become the second youngest player to reach 25 goals in Ligue 1, behind a certain Kylian Mbappé.
A flattering but deserved comparison for a precocious player who progresses from game to game.
“
Michel Der
Zakarian
has breathed new life into it.
We all manage to get along well, and we play better and better.
I think he changed a lot of things.
Not everything, but on some points I think he has improved a lot
,” Wahi said of his coach.
Mutual compliments between the two men.
The former Nantes coach indeed readily recognizes all the qualities of his striker: "
He is capable of dribbling, he has speed, he has a good heading game, we saw that against Ajaccio, he is capable of score with both feet.
He has a good palette.
There are still 12 games left, I hope he will score a lot more.
»
These last 12 games could well be his last under the colors of the MHSC.
Lucid, Michel Der Zakarian does not have false hopes about the future of his little protege: “
We know that in the short term he will have to move.
We know we can't keep it.
But that's how it is...
" If the striker says he wants to continue to "
give everything
" to Montpellier, his future could be written in a more upscale club in Ligue 1. According to him, it is in any case his will, so as
not to "skip the steps
" before going abroad.
Against Olympique de Marseille this Friday, he has the perfect opportunity to attract the spotlight.
It's up to him to shine.
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