Elisha Owusu

DOB: 7/11/1997 (22)

Nationality: France

Club: KAA Gent

Position: Defensive Midfielder

Tactical:

In Gent’s system, Owusu plays as the base of a diamond in midfield, with him being the player that protects the back four. Out of possession, he sticks to his position as being the last midfielder, but will move across the midfield to try and win back possession or press opposition players. In possession, when Gent are attacking, Owusu stays near the halfway line, acting as the player to break-up play if Gent were to lose possession in a dangerous area. He also will slot in-between the two center backs while the fullbacks are pushed forward joining the attack. When it comes to set pieces (free kicks and corners), Owusu does not move into the box, he instead sticks to his position near the halfway line and is there in case the opposition break off on a counter off the set piece. He also is not the type of player to drive forward from midfield with the ball, he is more likely to receive the ball and then look up to find a teammate for a pass.

Tactically he has fit in very well in Jess Thorup’s system considering that this is his first full season at the highest level professionally. Before moving to Belgium from Lyon (where he never played a first-team minute) he was out on loan at Ligue 2 side Sochaux. This season he has played every match in the Europa League, and almost every match in the Pro League so far.

Technical:

In regards to his tactical attributes, Owusu is probably one of the best on the ball in this Gent side. He boasts a very good pass completion rate, and has a great range of passing to go along with it. He is not the type of holding midfielder that only plays side-to-side or backwards passes, he is very keen to play the ball forward and play more progressive passes. While he is more keen to stick to his position while in possession of the ball, if the space is there, he will drive forward into the space to progress the ball quicker. When it comes to dribbling, he has the ability to weave his way past defenders, but as I mentioned earlier, that is really not his game being at the base of a diamond in midfield. He does not join the attack often, so his ability in the attacking third is hard to judge in Gent’s system. As a pure passer of the ball though, he is right up there with the best in that Gent side.

Physical:

Physically, Owusu stands at 6’0″, and is very quick and agile for someone his size. Being a defensive midfielder, tackling should be one of his strong suits defensively, and it is, with him having close to a two-thirds tackle success rate. He does however lack in his duels, with him winning just over half of his duels attempted but even less that half in his aerial duels, which is a bit concerning considering he is a taller midfielder. He is though more of a midfielder who will sit in the passing lanes and try to intercept passes than getting in the air to try and win the ball. Even so, at his height he should be winning more aerial duels than he currently does, considering out of all of Gent’s midfielders, he has attempted the second most (after Odjidja-Ofoe).

He has been a very reliable performer for Gent this season, with him having some stand-out matches (at Standard Liege in Dec.) throughout his first full season in a first division side in Europe.

Summary:

Owusu has been a very solid player for Gent this season, which is great considering he is only 22 and still has plenty of room to develop as a player. While in some aspects of his game he excels (passing, interceptions, tackling), he still has some way to go in others before he is possibly mentioned as an option for one of the bigger clubs in Europe. In Gent’s system he operates in the engine room of the midfield, and excels in Jess Thorup’s system. He is one of the better players in a very talented Gent side, but he still has some room to develop before he should think about moving to a bigger club in Europe.