Steve Mounié is Benin international striker, that has just signed for Huddersfield Town from Montpellier for a record fee estimated to be around £11m. Fulham, West Ham and West Brom were reported to have been interested in Mounié but Huddersfield Town managed to secure a deal.
Who is he? How will he fit into David Wagner’s style of play? Have Town got a good deal? Read on to find out more.
What does Steve Mounié bring to Town?
Mounié has potential to be the answer to the problem Town had all last season: goals. He scored fourteen goals in thirty-five appearances last season, which works out to be a goal every two and a half games. Obviously, those goals were scored in a different league and with a different team, but it’s encouraging that he managed to score regularly in a top European league.
His style of play should also fit well with David Wagner’s approach too. He’s quick, strong and has a powerful header. Looking at some of the goals he scored last season shows that he’s very hard to stop when the right balls are played into the box. With the creativity and width Town are capable of producing I think he’ll thrive on the service we can provide.
The highlights also show quite a few ugly goals, where he’s managed to make a nuisance of himself and ratted out a chance. This is exactly the kind of quality that town need in a striker, especially in the Premier League where we may have to score against the run of play.
Steve Mounié playing history
Mounié started his career in Montpellier’s youth system and rose through the ranks to get into the senior team in 2014. First-team opportunities were limited though, so he went out on loan to French club Nîmes in the 2015/16 season. During his loan spell, he scored 11 goals in 34 appearances in Ligue 2.
He then returned to his parent club for the 2016/17 season that has just finished and became an established first team player, scoring 14 goals in 35 Ligue 1 appearances.
It’s been widely reported that this goal haul is only one short of Kylian Mbappe’s Monaco in the same period. Given that Mbappe’s reported valuation is potentially ten times the price paid for Mounié it’s probably a bit simplistic to say there’s only one goal difference between the two.
What do Montpellier fans think about him leaving?
I’ve had to rely on Google Translate to get an idea of what the Montpellier fans think of Mounié’s exit, so apologies. It’s quite reassuring to see that even in a different country and language, fans forums are still full of fans squabbling with each other about stupid things.
The opinion about Mounié seems to be that they’ll struggle to replace him as his understudy, Ninga “will not win the balloons of the head”. Another fan suggests thinks that they’ve managed to sell their star player for a decent price thanks to us being flush with our Premier League windfall. Or in Google Translate’s words: When it’s an English club, it’s jackpot.
How does Mounié fit into Town’s system?
Mounié is an out and out striker, he’s played as a central striker for all of his career. While he’s young enough to learn another role, his major asset is his speed and power in front of goal so I’d expect him to carry on playing up front.
It’s very likely that Town will continue David Wagner’s 4-2-3-1 formation next season, so I imagine that Mounié will be fighting for the lone striker position alongside new-signing Depoitre and Nahki Wells. Collin Quaner may also be vying for that position but I’d expect him to be right down the pecking order after the big-money signings of Mounié and Depoitre.
Last season Town were woefully under-equipped in the forward line, with Nahki Wells being the only option until Collin Quaner’s arrival in the January window. The competition up front can only be good news for Town and will keep the strikers fighting for time on the pitch.
Terrier Spirit opinion on Steve Mounié joining HTAFC
It’s incredible to see little Huddersfield Town paying this kind of money for a single player. Mounié’s transfer fee is similar to the entire annual operating costs of the club when they were in the Championship. But this level of signing is a real statement of intent from the club and it shows we’re planning on having a really good go at the Premier League.
Only time will tell if Mounié is worth the money Town have paid for him but there’s a kind of logic to the deal. The transfer fee may be high, but Mounié could easily be worth double, triple or more within a year.
Playing in the shop window of the Premier League has the potential to hugely increase his profile and his value. Given his relatively young age there’s a strong possibility he’ll give us a decent return on our investment.