Oumar Solet, power with control.

By @VillarrealfanTV on X

Who is Oumar Solet? He is a French-born player who currently plays for Red Bull Salzburg. His natural position is center-back, but he can also play as a right-back if needed. He came through the ranks at Laval in western France before signing with Lyon at the age of 18 in 2018. His stint at Lyon was short-lived, making only four appearances. Since then, he has flourished at Red Bull Salzburg, making over 100 appearances for the club and winning three league titles. Oumar Solet has recently attracted significant interest from top European clubs. Roma, Manchester United, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart, and now Villarreal are some of the clubs interested in the talented defender. As of today, Villarreal is in talks to acquire Oumar Solet for €8.5 million, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Oumar Solet profile:

• Height: 194 cm
• Foot: Right-footed
• Age: 24
• Position: Center-back, Right-back
• Club: Red Bull Salzburg
• Contract Expiration: June 30, 2025
• Nationality: French

Why are Villarreal and Marcelino interested in him? One reason could be that Marcelino wants to further strengthen the defense to reduce the number of goals conceded last season by bringing in a player similar to Mosquera, who had an outstanding loan spell. This could imply that Mandi and possibly Cuenca may not be in Marcelino’s plans. Like Mosquera, Solet can play in either center-back position but is also comfortable playing as a right-back.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Oumar Solet

Strengths:

• He appears to be an offensively-minded defender with a progressive playing style, both in passing and ball-carrying. Solet is a risk-taker and is comfortable with the ball. He has 92% pass accuracy on his own half of the field.
• His risk-taking style and progressive ball-carrying enable him to create space for his teammates to attack if done successfully.
• His physicality and strength, combined with his technical ability, help him avoid turnovers and ball loss in dangerous situations. 8 ball retrievals per match.
• Strong aerial game wih his 194cms
• All of these attributes have led him to be in the Team of the Week up to 6 times with a total of 21 games played.

Weaknesses:

• Being a risk-taking defender can be a double-edged sword, as he may be vulnerable to counterattacks if he loses the ball during buildup.
• His passing game needs improvement as he tends to give away the ball by overplaying it. His passing accuracy is 87%.
• Injury History: Despite his young age, he has suffered from various injuries, including knee issues, hamstrings, thigh problems, muscle injuries, and meniscus tears. He has only started 19 official league matches.

Conclusión:
Villarreal y Marcelino ven el talento crudo y el potencial de Solet. Si hay un entrenador que puede sacar el máximo provecho de sus jugadores, es Marcelino. Solet encaja en el perfil de defensor que Marcelino quiere, y podría ser una firma para el futuro con un posible valor de reventa. Con solo un año restante en su contrato, el RB Salzburgo está en desventaja.