French talent Nathan Zeze is making a significant impact at NEOM SC in his debut season. The club, newly promoted to the Roshn Saudi League, has high hopes for its young players.
Key points
Nathan Zeze is a talented French player at NEOM SC.
NEOM SC is newly promoted to the Roshn Saudi League.
The club aims to balance youth and experience.
Zeze's performance has been a highlight for the team.
Nathan ZezeNEOM SCRoshn Saudi League
Zeze: Admired by Euro giants, France talent is thriving at NEOM SC
Zeze: Admired by Euro giants, France talent is thriving at NEOM SC
In what has largely been a debut season of adaption for NEOM Sports Club, the emergence of talented French youngster Nathan Zeze has been one of undoubted bright spots.
In Zeze, a defender once dubbed the “next William Saliba” and reportedly courted by clubs such as Liverpool as he emerged as one of France’s most promising products, they have certainly delivered on the former.
Still a few months shy of his 21st birthday, Zeze's performances have spoken volumes. Featuring in 26 of his side's 29 RSL matches, and boasting the second-most minutes of any outfield player (2,340), it's underlined why the Tabuk-based club invested so heavily in the former Nantes centre-back.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
While an illustration of Zeze’s terrific personal form, it’s also an indicator of the number of opportunities that Christophe Galtier’s team concedes. It’s no surprise that the others inside the season's top 10, outside of his teammate Hegazi, all represent sides in the bottom half of the table.
NEOM SC's historic debut RSL campaign is overseen by Frenchman Christophe Galtier
More positively, Zeze ranks inside the top 10 in the league this term for passes (1,451), which demonstrates how important he is both going forward and in kick-starting moves. As does Zeze’s 12 chances created - one of the highest numbers in the current competition for a defender. He has also scored two goals.
It hasn’t always been easy, but now firmly established in the RSL, Zeze is convinced the squad has all the ingredients to challenge at the top of the table.
“We're currently eighth and we dropped some pretty silly points,” he said in a recent interview with Foot Mercato. “Next year, we'll try to aim for the top five in the league because we're capable of it. "If we bring in two or three more players, we can achieve some great things.”
For many, Zeze appeared destined for great things himself. Prior to the RSL move, he had apparently drawn strong interest from the likes of Inter Milan, Villarreal and Bournemouth.
NEOM SC's Amadou Kone (L) and Nathan Zeze celebrate goal in win v Damac
From there, the thinking was to surround the incoming Zeze and Co with veterans they could lean on to hone their talent. And, even if it remains a work in progress, NEOM SC are clearly aiming to find the right balance between the two generations that should, eventually, spark on-field success.
“They're veterans, they've played for big clubs, big Premier League clubs, and so on,” Zeze said of those who share a dressing room who have seen, and done, a lot in the pro game.
“It's a relationship where they push us, they give us advice and so forth. We bring the carefree attitude of youth, which creates a good balance. It allows us to work well, and we have great team cohesion. Everything's going well, so it's fantastic."
