By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-08-03 14:18:14 | Updated at 2026-08-05 21:11:43
2 days ago
Brentford’s signing of Mamadou Sangaré could prove to be one of the coups of the summer transfer window. We look at why the Malian was in such high demand.
Despite Paris Saint-Germain retaining both their Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League titles, the story in French football last season was arguably the side who pushed them all the way for the top-flight title in RC Lens.
Finishing as runners-up for the second time since their Ligue 1 return in 2020-21, just six points behind the Parisians, was impressive enough, but Pierre Sage’s side also managed to round off the season by lifting the Coupe de France – their first major honour since winning the now-defunct Coupe de la Ligue in 1998-99.
Predictably, however, Lens’ success resulted in interest from across the English Channel, with Sage leaving to become Crystal Palace’s new head coach following the departure of Oliver Glasner, and Mamadou Sangaré joining Brentford in a reported £41 million move.
Sangaré, 24, only joined Les Sang et Or last summer from Rapid Wien, having also spent just a season there following a string of loan spells in Belgium and Austria from parent club Red Bull Salzburg. But he made a strong impression in France, earning a place in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, receiving the Marc-Vivien Foé Award for the best African player in the division and earning a reputation as one of the most impressive defensive midfielders in Europe.
Across Europe’s top five leagues last season, only Elliot Anderson (8.26) and Exequiel Palacios (8.04) averaged more possession regains per 90 (900+ minutes) than Sangaré (8.01). When looking specifically at possession won in the middle third of the pitch, his 4.68 per 90 put him behind only Íñigo Ruíz de Galarreta of Athletic Club.
The Mali international was also 11th for interceptions and ground duels won combined (7.7 per 90), as well as being joint-20th for tackles made (3.33 per 90).
He provided not only an effective shield for Lens’ back three but also proved to be the ideal foil for his midfield partner, Adrien Thomasson. The 32-year-old provided the joint-most assists (9), created the most chances (81), and was third for expected assists (7.47) behind his teammates Matthieu Udol (9.17) and Florian Thauvin (8.89) in Ligue 1 last season.
What was most impressive about the partnership of Thomasson and Sangaré at the heart of Lens’ midfield was the number of high turnovers (winning possession within 40 metres of the opposition’s goal) they made over the course of the season, with Sage’s side excelling in dynamic transitional situations.
Only Paris Saint-Germain (10.0), Bayern Munich (9.7) and Athletic Club (9.7) averaged more high turnovers per game in Europe’s top five leagues last season than Lens (9.5), while they ranked third for shot-ending high turnovers per game (2.0) and joint-ninth for pressed sequences per game (12.5).
Thomasson (52) and Sangaré (50) were two of only four players last season to record at least 50 high turnovers. Even converting those figures to per 90 (900+ minutes), Sangaré remained fourth (1.9), with his ability to nip in front or wrap his leg around opponents to regain possession and maintain pressure one of his major strengths.
While Sangaré’s out-of-possession traits are incredibly impressive, and arguably the biggest reason for his move to west London, he’s much more than just a destroyer at the heart of midfield. He offers plenty when in possession, as his seven goal involvements immediately suggest (3 goals, 4 assists).
Operating more towards the right side of the pitch meant he was able to come inside onto his more dominant left foot, open up the pitch and play from there. The biggest benefit was his ability to switch play, changing the point of attack for Lens, with them preferring to attack from wide areas.
Just 28.5% of Lens’ chances created in Ligue 1 last season came through the middle third of the pitch, the lowest proportion in the league, while only Paris FC (32.2%) created a smaller share of their open-play chances down the middle than Lens (34.2%).
Only 10 players attempted more switches in Ligue 1 than Sangaré (21), with the 18 he completed putting him joint seventh overall. Thirteen of his switches were to Lens’ left wing-back Matthieu Udol, the most of any specific combination in 2025-26, while his 31 open-play long passes to Udol was the second most.
Supplying Udol was a regular route to creating chances for Lens, with the wing-back ranking sixth across Europe’s top five leagues in 2025-26 for open-play expected assists (9.1), second for successful open-play crosses (48) and second among defenders for open-play chances created (54).
Sangaré offered plenty when on the ball besides raking passes across the pitch, with only four Ligue 1 players tallying more secondary chances created (that’s the pass before the pass that creates a chance) than his 31.
And on a per-90 basis (900+ minutes), only four midfielders in France’s top flight averaged more open-play shot-ending sequence involvements than his 6.3.
So, he’s just as adept at building up play for his team as he is at destroying it for opponents.
It helps that, even if he hasn’t got a clear passing option, he’s more than capable of keeping hold of possession, resisting pressure and progressing his side upfield.
While his progressive carry numbers were decent enough (3.4 10+ metre progressive carries per 90), his 23 carries with a take-on was the joint-19th most among defensive/central midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues last term, just one fewer than Elliot Anderson, a player he’s not hugely dissimilar to.
Looking at take-ons overall, he completed 32 of his 62 in Ligue 1, with his 52% success rate putting him joint 10th among defensive/central midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues (50+ take-on attempts), ranking similarly to the likes of Manu Koné and Noah Sadiki.
If there were any lingering doubts as to just how good Sangaré was last season, the culmination of his 2025-26 campaign can be broadly distilled in his all-action display against Paris Saint-Germain in May.
Despite Lens’ 2-0 defeat that confirmed the title for Luis Enrique’s side, Sangaré was a standout performer against not only the league’s best side, but Europe’s as well. Showing off his array of attributes, his 12 successful passes into the final third was twice that of anyone else on the pitch, while only Udol (4) created more chances than his three.
Defensively he was just as impactful. Only Thomasson (8) attempted more tackles than his four; he ranked third behind Thomasson and Ousmane Dembélé (8) for duels won (7); and his 13 possession regains was not only the most in that game, but also Sangaré’s highest figure in a Ligue 1 outing. It was one of four instances he won possession 10+ times in a league match last term; only Elliot Anderson did so more often across Europe’s top five leagues (11).
What makes Sangaré’s output even more impressive is the fact he missed part of Lens’ campaign, helping Mali reach the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
It perhaps comes as a bit of a surprise, then, that of all the sides linked with Sangaré this summer, it was Brentford who won the race for his signature. However, in what will likely be a step up for him in 2026-27, the move doesn’t represent a massive shift tactically.
Neither Lens nor Brentford ranked especially high for possession-based metrics in 2025-26. Lens averaged 51.2% possession in Ligue 1 (8th) and Brentford 47.6% in the Premier League (12th).
Instead, they were two of the more direct sides in Europe’s top five leagues. Lens progressed the ball upfield at a rate of 1.94 metres per second in open play, and Brentford (1.93 m/s) weren’t much slower. They ranked 18th and 20th out of 96 sides, respectively.
They were also among Europe’s best when it came to fast breaks, with Lens averaging 1.62 per game (8th) and Brentford 1.53 per game (joint 10th). Both registered 0.24 goals per game from these situations.
While the allure of sides who have ambitions of lifting silverware on a consistent basis is hard to ignore, and reports suggest such interest was very much there, moving to a team who have numerous playing-style similarities to Lens makes sense. It potentially eases the transition to a new league and lessens the impact of the step up in quality from Ligue 1 to the Premier League.
Following Jordan Henderson’s departure, there’s a clear void for Sangaré to fill, with a midfield comprising himself, Yehor Yarmolyuk and Mikkel Damsgaard – who ranks eighth across the last two Premier League campaigns for expected assists (12.42) – looking like an extremely awkward proposition for any Premier League side this season.
Sangaré has joined the Premier League side who last season spent the greatest proportion of time in the recovery phase (8.9%) – an Opta Vision metric highlighting the period immediately after a team regains possession in open-play, before establishing controlled possession – and the second most in the counter-attacking phase (0.8%).
The Bees were an extremely transitional side, presenting big spaces that need to be managed, especially when possession is turned over.
Add to that the prevailing narrative that man-to-man marking became increasingly popularised last season, resulting in more one-v-one duels across the pitch, then having a player able to cover those large spaces effectively and cope with numerous individual battles over the course of a game is imperative. Sangaré fits the bill perfectly.
Brentford have established themselves as not only a formidable Premier League side, following their joint-highest finish of ninth, but also one of Europe’s best when it comes to recruitment, making themselves an ideal landing spot for talents with the potential of playing for some of the continent’s biggest clubs.
Sangaré looks set to be the latest player to join that list, such is the regard he’s held in. He may not be the most expensive signing in the Premier League this summer, but he could prove to be the best.
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