By Ewah Chika.
Schalke will be over the moon following the recent signing of Cameroonian born Swiss forward Breel Embolo for £20 million from FC Basel, this is because just six months ago Basel rejected Wolfsburg's bid of €27 million for the talented youngster.
Presently 19, the forward debuted in 2014 after signing a professional contract with Basel. The forward scored 10 goals in 27 League games for Basel coupled with his two goals, one assist in eight games in the Europa League all last season. Last season, he also had a shot per game of 2.1 and a
passing accuracy of 78.9%. Although he is still unknown outside Switzerland, Embolo is a pure talent and one who is miles ahead of his peers considering his achievements and quality . The youngster did not only win the Swiss League last season with Basel, he was also voted the Most Popular Player in Switzerland in 2014 and Player of the Year in 2015. A professional who is not tired of working, Embolo was reported to have called his club's U18 coach Raphael Wicky to allow him play for his side in their remaining games as Basel had already sealed the title.
This is not the only thing he is known for as he is also known for his honesty which was manifested after he protested to the referee who awarded Basel a corner with five minutes left in regulation time. Embolo honestly told the referee that Taulent Xhaka's clearance hit his leg hence it was supposed to be a goal kick and not a corner. Basel later lost the game 3-2 as Grasshoppers won but this ended up winning him applauds and fans. Embolo is a versatile player who can play in any attacking position but was predominantly used as a centre forward by Basel last season. He is a good dribbler with a good stamina and can dictate play from the middle of the park which allows him play as a no.10 which is just behind the main striker. In total he scored 30 goals and 32 assists in 90 games in all competitions during his time in Basel. This is not the first time Embolo is leaving Basel as this was the case when he was discarded by the club during his early days for lack of talent. The forward joined Old Boys before making the move back to Basel two years later. Due to lack of game time in Basel, Embolo rejoined Old Boys but this time his stay lasted two months as Basel quickly realised their mistake and snapped him up.
David Cemos RTS commentator had this to say about him, " He has got pace and power with the ball, but also without it. His ability to recycle possession in amazing and in that respect, he reminds me of N'Golo Kante. He can dictate the tempo of the game and it's a shame to only use him upfront ." This did not end there as Basel legend Marco Streller had this to contribute , "He is a huge talent. I am excited to see him every time he plays ."
The Swiss international left Cameroon for Switzerland aged six and can play with the ball to his feet or press high up the field to dispossess opponents . With the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and even Borussia Dortmund joining power houses Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to rob shoulders, with Schalke left out in the dark all these years, the signing of the Swiss seems the beginning of good things to come for the club.
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