A year after the defeat of Fiorentina in the final of the Europa Conference League against West Ham (2-1), which he had followed from the sidelines during the 90 minutes, Jonathan Ikoné has a new opportunity, this Wednesday ( 9 p.m.), to win the C4 by facing Olympiakos in the final in Athens (Greece).
Kylian Mbappé’s former friend at AS Bondy, who tortured his opponents during his youth, has been playing with the Italian Serie A team since the winter transfer window of the 2021-2022 season, i.e. two and a half years. After a time of adaptation, the one who was trained at PSG had an accomplished 2022-2023 season. As an off-center attacking midfielder, he was able to be effective against the tough Transalpine defenses (6 goals and 8 assists).
Injured in a hip at the start of the season, which kept him away from the field for almost two months, Jonathan Ikoné (26 years old, 4 caps) has played a little less this year (18 starts in Serie A and 5 in the Cup). of Europe). Even if his statistics have dropped (3 goals and two assists), his influence on the Viola’s game is still present.
“He thickened up a lot and it did him good”
“He was decisive on several occasions. He is a boy who has kept his speed with the ball but he has progressed well in several areas such as commitment and repetition of efforts, declares Jean-Claude Giuntini, his former coach from U16 to U19. His progress is good. There was a question about his departure in a difficult championship for a young player. It’s a championship with a lot of commitment, marking, pressure, one-on-one… He was able to activate a mental dimension which was latent and which had not necessarily emerged before. He must now confirm by having a more effective performance in terms of statistics. »
“He thickened up a lot and it did him good. The Italian method allows him to be better in the athletic field. I saw him defend more, says François Rodrigues, his former coach in U17, U19 and reserve team in Paris. On the offensive side, however, it has stagnated a little. I see him taking less initiative in percussion when it comes to dribbling and hitting. He plays off center in a team that plays transition. He always has a few gestures of which he has the secret. But not enough. I have the impression that he is a little restricted. » He adds: “I adored him in Lille (2018-2022) where he was capable of eliminating, hitting, scoring with all his panache. »
“If he wants to return to the French team, he must increase his volume of play”
At the time, he had a string of excellent performances with Losc and Didier Deschamps gave him his first four caps in the French jersey in 2019 during the Euro qualifiers punctuated by a goal against Albania (4-1) and a decisive pass against Andorra (3-0). If he was not very far from participating with the Blues in Euro 2021, Jonathan Ikoné (26 years old) has since disappeared from the radar of the France team. A return to the Blues, where competition in attack is fierce, will require higher statistics and perhaps a transfer to a more upscale formation than Fiorentina where his contract runs until 2026.
“If he wants to return to the French team, Jonathan must increase his volume of play to find himself in the penalty area more often and be effective. It is essential to the position he occupies, judge Jean-Claude Giuntini. It must also be much more influential in a direct or indirect way. Moving to a higher club would require him to have consistency at the very high level. »
“Jonathan remains a formidable player at the gates of the Blues even if he was not selected in the group for the Euro,” believes François Rodrigues. He is a player to watch because he is still young. After being injured this year, he is returning to his best level. He can have a hell of a final! »
