Saito and Dembele offer QPR creative solutions – Signing Wednesday, 14th Aug 2024 14:48 by Clive Whittingham Japanese international Koki Saito and former Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele are the latest additions to QPR’s squad this transfer window, as Rangers search for solutions to their goalscoring issues. FactsKaramoko Dembele is a 21-year-old winger of Ivory Coast parentage, born in Lambeth (Bakerloo Line, funny walks) and raised from the age of one in the Govan part of Glasgow (old boats, headbutts, cholesterol). He is the younger brother of Sirki Dembele, now of Birmingham but previously known to QPR as a scorer for Peterborough in a chastening loss for Mark Warburton’s R’s at London Road three seasons back. ‘Kaddy’ was spotted playing for Park Villa Boys Club, who he joined aged five, and picked up by Celtic when he was ten. By 2016, aged just 13, he was called up to play for Celtic’s U20 side with manager Brenton Rodgers already involving him in first team technical drills. He signed professional terms with the club in 2018 and by 2019 was making his debut off the bench in the SPL for a 2-1 victory against Hearts followed by a league trophy presentation having finished nine points clear in another nail-biting SPL title race. He became the youngest ever player to represent a Scottish team in Europe when Neil Lennon brought him on in a 2-0 away defeat to Romania’s CFR Cluj the season after. There was no little hype around the diminutive winger, who stands just 5ft 6ins and is officially listed weighing just under 60kg (9 stone). France’s L'Équipe named him one of the six most promising talents in Europe in October 2019. And yet, first team opportunities at Celtic rather died away. A broken ankle in a pre-season friendly against Bristol City in the summer of 2021 didn’t help, and he did get a first Celtic goal off the bench against St Johnstone in May that year, but by the end of 2021/22 he’d made just nine substitute appearances. As his contract expired he moved to France and signed for Brest (giggity) on a free transfer, signing a four-year deal. He made 15 Ligue 1 appearances in 2022/23, every one of them from the bench as they finished 14th. Things really took off for him last season on loan at Blackpool in League One. Finally playing some regular games (34 starts, 13 sub appearances), Dembele contributed nine goals and 14 assists in all comps, and swept the board at the club’s Player of the Year awards taking the main junior, players’ and fans’ awards. His tally included a goal just 22 seconds into an April win over Carlisle. Only one other U21 player had more goal involvements than him in the EFL last season (hat tip Jack Supple). Internationally he qualifies for Ivory Coast, England and Scotland. He has strangely been representing both the latter countries through the junior age groups, playing for England and Scotland at U15, U16 and U17 level, and then more recently a cap for England at U18s. Like Dembele, Saito isn’t going to do a lot to improve the height and physicality of Rangers’ team. The 5ft 6ins tall winger arrives on loan from Belgium’s Lommel, part of Abu Dhabi’s death star City Football Group, having spent the previous two years playing in the Eredivisie on loan at Sparta Rotterdam. Saito, 23, was born in Tokyo (sake, sushi, Godzilla), and has represented Japan at every level from U16 to U23. He recently made three starts in the Olympics as Japan beat Paraguay and Mali before falling to defeat against eventual winners Spain. Between 2018 and 2020 he made 63 appearances and scored nine goals for Yokohama as they won promotion back into the top tier of the J-League. He debuted there aged just 16. before being picked up by Lommel where he played 32 games and scored six goals across two seasons. He has spent the last two years at Sparta Rotterdam, scoring seven goals in 30 appearances in 2022/23 and then three in 22 last term. In this glorious new age of openness and transparency from the club, “Saito joins for the duration of the 2024/25 campaign while Dembélé has moved to W12 on an initial season-long loan.” West London Sport say the move for Dembele is ahead of a likely £2.2m permanent move to Loftus Road next summer. Dembele Analysis @Greg_SpiresMovement & Positioning Dembele wowed in League One last season, showcasing an impressive blend of creativity, dribbling and effective movement in the opposition half – adding goals and assists consistently. He played off the right wing or in the ‘ten’ position, frequently occupying the half-spaces on the right-hand side and holding his runs so he was in a clear line of sight to receive passes. One of the more interesting movements that he makes is to hold his run & move centrally to the edge of the box when the ball is in wider areas (anticipating a cross) or crossed into Blackpool’s target men. He had great success with this movement & created chances for himself and supplied his teammates with a few assists from this area too.  All eight of Dembele’s goals for Blackpool came from central areas between the 6-yard box and the edge of the D on the penalty area. Furthermore, he showed that he’s a willing third man runner off the forward pass or throw-in – where he had great success at finding space to run into and could get ahead of his marker due to his electric acceleration. Also, when played as a ten, he was a willing runner in behind LBs who jumped up to press, looking to exploit the space they had vacated and setting up opportunities to cross from a more dangerous area. In addition, when attacking the box and making those fruit-bearing late runs into the box – he is intelligent in the angle he takes by trying to get across defenders and force them to either foul him or let him (Dembele) get ahead of them. The perks of being rapid & 5’6” eh? Defensively, he is lacklustre in defensive transitions and consistently out of frame when they’re filming the action in his team’s box. Totally fine that he’s used as a quick outlet for counter-attacks but doesn’t look ideal for a manager that wants his wingers to track back and be the first line of defence. That being said, his tenacity and efforts to press can’t be denied, so perhaps he can be an effective defensive contributor – albeit short of Paul Smyth’s defensive winger mould. Physical Attributes Dembele’s bursting runs into space and acceleration to get away from defenders causes a real issue for defenders, leading to plenty of fouls and opposition players that get wound up with his ability to beat them. Being so small, his centre of gravity is extremely low, and he can turn out on the spot, making him a slippery opponent. He possesses a strong core that allows him to defend himself well against attackers that look to bully him and he utilises his arms well to fend off some of the monstrous defenders League One has to offer. Clearly, he’s still very lightweight & is another member of QPR’s ever-growing collection of midgets with pace. This is beginning to become a concern for me, as it could mean that we can’t defend effectively or win duels in wider areas, increasing the reliance on Jimmy Dunne to do the heavy lifting in this respect. I look forward to seeing us lump the ball into the corners, hoping that Saito, Chair or Dembele can look like they’re trying to disrupt play whilst your Darnell Furlong’s & Torbjørn Heggem’s of this league win another header with ease. Qualities in Possession Now the juicy stuff. Heavily left-footed, his goals often came from opening his body up and hitting into the far corner (to the goalkeeper’s right). Dembele seeks to find the corners and test goalkeepers with his shots, although they sometimes lack enough power or zip to fully do so. He drives into central areas with the ball quite often and is intelligent enough to draw in a defender before releasing the pass; a sign of someone with an attacking brain & the ability to use it! With his low centre of gravity and shiftiness, he utilises double movements and feints to beat his defender and burst into space – whether that be centrally or out wide. When in the final third, he finished in a variety of ways – longer range curlers, top corner finish, outside of the left foot etc. There were a few occasions that he snatched at chances and sliced the ball, wasting a good chance. Overall, he looked to be a good finisher but needs to work on varying the type of shots he takes because his left-footed curler into the far corner is far too predictable for this level. The combination of his speed, dribbling ability and intelligence in the opposition’s half make him a real threat in attacking transitions. He played some lovely through balls that were weighted perfectly but can also carry himself and threaten the box when the defence is caught out. Minor details but he could improve the timings and angles of his runs when he’s the furthest forward player, in an attacking transition, to create space for a teammate to attack. Conclusion This is a player that most of the Championship have been desperate to sign and his qualities and threat in the final third are clear to see. A silky dribbler that accelerates and attacks space with purpose and can finish or assist in a variety of ways. Praying and hoping we can work out a way to play to the strengths of Dembele (as well as the others) because he brings game-changing potential & could make a big difference over the course of a season. Saito Analysis @Greg_SpiresQuality on the Ball Saito is a very exciting player to watch, causing problems for defenders with his ability to take them on both inside & outside and using both feet to beat them in 1v1 situations. He has exceptional close control, dribbling with the ball seemingly glued to his right foot as he threatens off the left-wing. His first touch is repeatedly on his back foot, but he opens his body nicely to face forwards and his touch often takes him forward at an angle towards the goal – which opens up the option to take the defender on down the line or cut infield. His first touch is strong & he’s capable of using both feet for both controlling, passing, crossing and shooting – although, to me there is a clear bias to using his right foot. One thing I personally love about Saito is that he has a wide range of tools to beat his defender. He can use double movements, changes of pace, shifting the ball between his feet and more to beat his defender in 1v1s – which is a real asset in a QPR team that look extremely predictable at present. For those who saw the season opener, we were largely unsuccessful at winning our attacking 1v1s in wide areas, so there’s optimism that Saito can bring some real threat in these situations & hopefully provide plenty of assists to our aerial threats in the box. Positioning & Physicality Whilst his position suggests that he’s a left-winger, his positioning tells us a different story. Sparta Rotterdam used a 3-2-4-1 in build-up, which meant Saito rolled inside into the left half-spaces & into the middle of the park – sometimes opening the other side of the field up & create swift attacking transitions. Often playing higher up the pitch in the left-hand half-space, he is very quick to react to loose balls and can anticipate flick-ons or knock downs from a target man to great effect – winning possession off second balls and creating opportunities immediately for his team. With Sparta Rotterdam’s set up allowing him to stay nice and high, he looks to play off the back of the RB, bending his runs in-behind them from his blind spot – a highly effective move for the Japanese winger. Thankfully, Saito brings pace too – enough to exploit space in-behind and accelerate into space to support in attacking or defensive transitions. He has exceptional balance which enables him to change direction quicker than most of his opponents & get out of tight spots at times. Sadly, he’s another member of QPR’s tiny army at just 5’7” and roughly 60kg. He lacks the physicality to successfully ride challenges and utilise hold-up play himself, leading to him hitting the deck easily when tackled (see also Paul Smyth). Out-of-possession, he’s a capable defender who is able to use zonal defensive shapes to cut the space off – which translates well to Cifuentes’ style. He works hard in defensive transitions and can be aggressive in jumping up in the press too – making him a reliable defender of space. However, he lacks the physically to be assertive or disruptive when trying to defend and that may be something that teams look to exploit if they have more physically dominant full backs. Final Third Actions As mentioned earlier, he has a range of attributes that will allow him to successfully beat his defender and get a cross in and generally his decision-making on this front was crucial. There were times when he got the defender to bite and he simply jinxed past him like he was a mannequin on a training pitch. On the other hand, there were times where he tried to be a bit too cute or draw the foul and it didn’t work. He also had times where his first touch let him down – narrowing the angle or causing him to get into a 50/50 challenge which he ultimately lost. Saito occasionally made a decision that limited the quality of chance he or his teammate could have, which was disappointing but hopefully there’s some tweaking that can be done to make it clear for him and allow him to make better decisions, at a much quicker speed. His ability to cross under pressure was impressive, often standing up crosses to the back post where their target man could attack it. I realised that I’ve made him sound like a 1v1 merchant that doesn’t offer much else but it’s certainly not the case. His shooting is regularly hard and low, targeting the corners of the goal. Sadly, his left-footed strikes were lacking in the power, conviction and accuracy as those off his right foot – but that may be a moot point if he is used off the left-wing with Chair at 10. Saito can create nice combination play by tucking inside on the edge of the area and playing threaded passes out to an attacking full-back or a striker in the box. Fundamentally, he’s a real asset in the final third although there’s room for improvement in the sharpness of his decision-makings and the quality of his end product. Conclusion Saiko brings a real threat off the left-hand side with excellent ball-carrying and the capability of using combination play or threading passes through when in more central areas. An exciting prospect that instantly improves our ability to win 1v1s & hopefully provides chances for our strikers. Had a hamstring injury, forcing him to miss 20 matches last season, but hopefully our medical team are able to keep him fit & firing as he could be key to unlocking defences. Reaction“I am really looking forward to playing for a big club like QPR, and I want to contribute to the team by providing results, goals and assists. Thinking about where I want to be and what I want to achieve, it will be a great step to play for QPR. Dribbling is one of my strengths. But also creating chances and running behind the defenders that leads into goals and assists are also the strengths I have.” -Koki Saito “I am really excited. I have heard amazing things about it here and I just can’t wait to get started, to be honest. This is a great platform for me to progress in my career. I spoke to Martí and I spoke to Christian and I really felt the ‘want’, which I think is important. The conversations I had with them were good and from there, my decision was made. That was the most important thing at that stage of my career. I hadn’t had a lot of games before that so I am really grateful to Blackpool for giving me that opportunity. I am hoping to build on that this season.” -Karamoko Dembele Opposition View – BlackpoolMitch Cook’s Left Foot (@cooksleft) is a Blackpool blogger who watched Dembele play a season on loan in League One last year. “If you are a QPR fan then you probably don't care much about the experience of being a Blackpool fan last season. I'm going to tell you anyway - and then you'll see why at the end. “You might remember Neil 'Coaching Certificate' Critchley. Then again, you might not because his Loftus Road reign was over in the blink of an eye. Barely enough time to get the words 'shape, both in and out of possession' out of his mouth before he was tossed out of Shepherds Bush. It would be entirely understandable if he'd receded from the hooped memory banks altogether. “Neil 'quality in key moments' Critchley is not a man for risks. He's not the kind of manager who enjoys free jazz improvisation or free-wheelin' rock n roll. He's more of a safety first, driving three miles under the speed limit, best of the Lighthouse Family on the stereo kind of guy. He's a collector of solid pros. All round players who are rank average at everything and outstanding at nothing. “Last season was boring. It had neither the spleen venting raging anger of a disaster, not the giddy, childlike Christmas morning excitement of a success. It was. (mostly) nothing. A boring team, made up of (mostly) boring players being semi competent sometimes and a bit lacking at others. It felt as if all of our squad were the same honest pro, their workmanlike efforts and steady characters bleeding together into one grey footballer. “We don't like grey. We're tangerine. “Then. There. Was. Kaddy. Vivid Technicolor. Everything we weren't, he was. “I first saw him play in an Auto Pizza Leyland Daf Motors game on a stream. He looked really good. The first time I saw him in the flesh, I genuinely (I promise this is true) thought the mascot had stayed on the pitch for kick off for about five seconds. He looked tiny. Why had we signed this little guy? He's just going to get kicked about! This is no league for the diminutive. He might be some kind of keepy uppies champion, but you need MEN in League One. Big strong, brutish, alpha types with burly broad shoulders and beardy brawn. “He did get kicked up in the air. But... “He bounced back. Like a weeble, nothing the opposition did could truly knock him off balance. He would be chopped, he'd fall, roll and spring to his feet, taking the ball and leaving the aggressor looking lumbering and oaf like. Sometimes the pen is mightier than the sword and Kaddy wrote a delicate and beautiful story of once in a decade technique and skill across the hearts of the seaside massive. “Never fall in love with a loan player they say. Fuck that. We fell at his feet. We sang his name into the night. We praised the dawn for Kaddy was here. Love is pure and Dembele was magic. Love is a drug and Kaddy could leave you thinking you were seeing things. “He played largely as an advanced central midfielder, a '10' in modern money. I think he could play equally well, if not better, as an out and out winger. In a side given to backwards and sideways conservative football, he wasn't just the creative spark, he was the entire fire of imagination. He drifts here and there. One flank, then the other. He drops deep to take the ball, he comes out of the hole and sits on the striker's shoulder. “He's a heart in the mouth player. So many times he'd take it and set off and, used to the misadventures of lesser beings who fancied themselves as a maverick, I'd instinctively wince as it looked as if he'd run down a blind alley. Nine times out of ten he'd emerge with the ball, three of the opposition taken out of the game in one spin, trick, shimmy or wriggle. “He's a dribbler, sure. He's a passer too. He has vision and timing and awareness. He sets up goals. He scores goals. Little lofted efforts, pile drivers and curling efforts. He has a touch to die for as well. Several dull games were made worthwhile experience just to watch him kill a long ball stone dead with a player twice his size and weight swarming all over his back. “He works as well. If he gives the ball away, he harries and nips at heels to try and win it back. Away at Carlisle, in an otherwise feeble victory, played in hail and grey skies, the frozen hands of the 'Pool fans were warned by saluting his sprint from one side of the pitch to the other to launch into a slide tackle in the corner that foiled a Cumbrian raid. “In short. You are lucky to have him. He is a delight. He is probably our most pure skillful player since at least Wes Hoolahan, if not longer. He looked brilliant last season in.a side that wasn't great. In fact, I'd say bluntly, without him, we were shit. When he first signed, he would fade out of games. We depended on him so much though, that he became an automatic pick and his stamina clearly grew as a result. “He's not the first player to have ended up at Loftus Road via the seaside. He might just be one of the best. If he can look as good as he did for us, in a side of largely rank average journeymen, in a league of agricultural brutality - then the jump in level to more a technical style and with better players and perhaps a more attack minded manager should suit him down to the ground. “Every Blackpool fan would wish him nothing but success. “Treasure him.” If you enjoy LoftforWords, please consider supporting the site through a subscription to our Patreon or tip us via our PayPal account loftforwords@yahoo.co.uk. The Twitter/Threads @loftforwords, @greg_spires, @cooksleft Pictures - Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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