After one season in the Belgian Pro League, RWDM were relegated automatically at the end of the Belgian season, with the Brussels-based club needing to prepare for another season in the Challenger Pro League with the hope of bouncing straight back up to the top flight. However, that could be tough, with many of their star players from last season likely leaving, either because of loans expiring or bigger clubs coming in for talented players as the club looks to balance the books.
This tactical analysis will be a scout report. It will look at three players who performed extremely well with RWDM in the Belgian Pro League last season, breaking down their style of play, where they fit into RWDM’s tactics and where their strengths lie, as well as what they could offer a club that might be tempted to sign them during this summer transfer window.
Pierre Dwomoh – midfielder
After a very successful loan spell with RWDM after joining from Antwerp before the start of last season, it is very likely the 19-year-old will not be back with the Brussels club next season. The Belgian youth international ended up making 30 appearances in the Belgian Pro League for RWDM last season, with the young midfielder being a key player under all three managers last season.
He does not seem to have a future at Antwerp either. The club is likely to trigger the option they hold to extend the 19-year-old’s contract before selling him on. The likes of Luton Town and newly promoted Premier League side Leicester City are rumoured to be interested in signing him.
The heat map above shows the typical areas around the pitch Dwomoh found himself in for RWDM this season. The 19-year-old was utilised very much like a box-to-box midfielder this season, with the Belgian youth international shining in this role under three different managers. However, he was injured for some time under their third manager of the season, Yannick Ferrera.
The graphic above can give us a better idea of how Dwomoh performs in different phases of play, with the percentile rankings being compared with other players in the same position from the same tier of league. Right away, we can see how Dwomoh excels in percentage of defensive duels won, with the 19-year-old ranking in the 93rd percentile in this metric. The Belgian youth international also ranks pretty high in dribbles per 90 minutes, with Dwomoh ranking in the 79th percentile. The midfielder is very aware of his surroundings when in possession, constantly scans the area around him before receiving possession, and can make quick decisions when he gets on the ball, which helps him from a dribbling perspective.
The data viz graphic shown above can give us a bit of a look at the dribbling capabilities of the Belgian youth international midfielder. Dwomoh has tended to play as the right-sided central midfielder for RWDM this season, either in a double pivot as a box-to-box midfielder or further forward, at times playing as more of an advanced attacking midfielder. Dwomoh has averaged 2.6 dribbles per 90 minutes this season, with a success rate of 48.7%. While he is not a high-octane dribbler, Dwomoh is a player who has shown himself to be very capable of taking opposition players on and progressing the ball past them while in possession. We can see how the Belgian uses his dribbling in all areas of the pitch to progress the ball, and this is a valuable asset that he would bring to any potential new club.
Another one of Pierre Dwomoh’s strengths is his ability in defensive duels. The graphic above shows the defensive territory of the 19-year-old midfielder this season in all competitions for RWDM. Most of Dwomoh’s defensive actions occurred in the middle or defensive third of the pitch, with a lot of this down to RWDM being put under pressure often.
During the 2023/24 season for RWDM, Dwomoh averaged 7.27 defensive duels per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 68.7%, an extremely high success rate when compared to other players in his position.
At only 19 years of age, Pierre Dwomoh has done enough in this full season on loan at RWDM that he has the capabilities to make the step up to a bigger European league. While it is still possible Antwerp could look to re-integrate him back into the first-team squad, a transfer in the summer is much more likely.
Makhtar Gueye – forward
Another RWDM player who should have admirers this summer is 26-year-old Senegalese forward Makhtar Gueye. The forward joined the Brussels club last summer from Oostende, with the striker impressing during his time on the Belgian coast. His success scoring goals was able to translate over, with the Senegalese striker scoring 11 goals in all competitions for the side in the league.
The graphic above shows the shots that Gueye attempted this season in all competitions for RWDM, giving us a bit of an idea of the type of forward the 26-year-old is. Gueye tends to attempt most of his shots from inside the penalty area, with all 11 of his goals coming from inside this area. The Senegalese forward does not have much of a presence inside the 6-yard box, with only two of his goals and a minimal number of shots coming from this area.
Looking more in-depth at Gueye’s underlying statistics, the RWDM forward averaged 2.17 shots per 90 minutes this season, with 58.9% of his shots being put on target. However, the 26-year-old did underperform his xG, with Gueye finishing with a 15.28 xG while only scoring 11 goals. This means there is potential for Gueye to improve in front of goal next season, with the Senegalese striker demonstrating he is capable of scoring 15+ goals a season in a team with a bit more quality.
Another thing to note about Gueye’s style of play is that he is not just a target forward who stays near the penalty area and sits on the shoulder of the last defender. As we can see from the forward’s touch map above, Gueye will look to get involved in phases of link-up play, dropping into midfield to assist in progressing possession between the lines. Statistically, Gueye only averaged 16.26 passes per 90 minutes this season, with a passing accuracy of 67.8%.
While he may not be heavily involved at all times in linking play between the lines, the 26-year-old forward can assist in this phase, which is a vital attribute to have in some of the bigger sides in Belgium and around Europe in general.
As we can see from the graphic shown above, Gueye has tended to be around the average for players in his position for most of the metrics in all the categories, with the 26-year-old really excelling in aerial duels per 90 minutes and percentage of aerial duels won per 90 minutes, ranking in the 91st and 95th percentiles respectively. We also touched briefly on his passing and ability to link play, and we can see that Gueye ranks in the 61st percentile for progressive passes per 90 minutes and in the 50th percentile for dangerous passes per 90 minutes, further highlighting his ability to contribute with more than just his goalscoring.
At this moment, there have not been any rumours linking Makhtar Gueye to other clubs around Europe, but it would not be a surprise if some links emerged. The 26-year-old is more than capable of contributing to a club in the top tier of Belgian football or in another European league.
Ilay Camara – defender
The third player that has the potential to have suitors this summer is 21-year-old defender Ilay Camara. The Belgian-born Senegalese defender has played a variety of roles on the right side of the pitch for the Belgian side, with the majority of his playing time coming at right back, but also having played further forward as both a right wing-back and a right-sided midfielder for RWDM this past season.
As we can see from Camara’s heat map above from the 2023/24 season, the 21-year-old is highly active down the right-hand side of the pitch, with Camara displaying a high-intensity work rate that allows him to make an impact in both penalty boxes. We already mentioned how he has mainly been playing in a right wing-back position, but he was able to make an impact, contributing to goals as well, with the 21-year-old scoring three goals and providing six assists for teammates.
As we can see from the metric rankings shown above, Camara has been most impactful for RWDM in the attacking phases of play, with him ranking above the average of players in his position in all the categories. The standout ones are his goal contributions per 90 minutes, where he ranks in the 86th percentile, and his opposition penalty area touches per 90 minutes, ranking in the 73rd percentile. While Camara is a capable defender, he seems to excel more as an attack-minded wing-back or even starting further forward as a wide midfielder, which he has done occasionally for RWDM since his arrival at the club last summer.
The graphic above shows the ball progression ability of Ilay Camara when he is allowed to drive at opposition defenders. While Camara only averaged 3.11 dribbles per 90 minutes last season, with a success rate of 40.5%, the 21-year-old is still rather capable in his own right and is dangerous in these moments. From the map above, we can see that most of his attempted dribbles have occurred inside the final third, with Camara tending to receive possession in the wide channels or just inside the half-space before driving inside at opposition defenders.
We also touched briefly on Camara’s quality in possession when it comes to finding teammates with passes in and around the penalty area, which is also displayed by his six assists this past season. Camara averaged 28.61 passes per 90 minutes with RWDM in their Belgian Pro League campaign, with a passing accuracy of 76.5%.
From the graphic above, we can see just how impactful the 21-year-old was when it came to progressing the ball vertically, especially into the penalty area. Most of these progressive passes into the penalty area came from either the half space or crosses from the wide channel. However, Camara also played a few passes from more central areas, showing how he would occasionally drift inside into more central areas.
It would not be surprising if Ilay Camara is linked with bigger clubs this summer. It is surely plausible that bigger clubs have kept a close eye on him this season due to his performances with RWDM, even if the effort was in vain due to the Brussels club’s relegation from the top flight.
Conclusion
As this tactical analysis and scout report has shown, these three players are three of the likeliest players, in our opinion, to get a bigger move this summer after their performances with RWDM in the 2023/24 season. It would be well worth keeping an eye on any developments with them as the transfer window opens and clubs decide whether or not they want to sign them for next season.
Comments