Desire Doue
Desire Doue struck the winning penalty for PSG against Liverpool
When a mercurial talent like Desire Doue is summoned from the bench for Paris Saint-Germain, it speaks volumes about the class and quality at Luis Enrique's disposal.
The 19-year-old attacking midfielder, who can also operate from the left or right flank, will perhaps feel aggrieved he was unable to earn a starting berth at Anfield following his scintillating second-half cameo at the Parc des Princes one week ago.
But he will also take great satisfaction from the star role he eventually played in PSG's precious victory as he rifled the winning spot-kick beyond Alisson to seal his side's place in the quarter-finals.
For the casual fans watching on at home, few will have heard of Doue prior to this memorable two-legged Champions League thriller. But even those that were fond of his eye-catching ability may not recall that he attracted admirers at Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham last summer - though that is unlikely to come as a surprise.
Last August, PSG pounced to narrowly pip Bayern Munich to Doue's signature, striking a £50million agreement with Stade Rennes for his signature. The German giants made two sizeable offers but were ultimately outbid by the Ligue 1 champions, who were prepared to move mountains to land their top attacking target.
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But at the start of the window, United, Arsenal and Spurs had all registered interest in a potential deal but were not willing to pay the cash Stade Rennes desired. The two north London sides in particular were reluctant to engage in the bidding war that later played out between PSG and Bayern, respectively.
United scouts were impressed by Doue at Rennes, his underlying attacking numbers had also ranked among the best in Europe for U21 players of his ilk but Erik ten Hag had other priorities to address. Now, you can't help but feel the 19-year-old would have fit Ruben Amorim's system like a glove as one of the Portuguese's No.10s.
Around May, the Gunners are understood to have held exploratory talks with Doue's camp but they were not alone, as around six other clubs had also made contact. Their interest never went beyond those preliminary discussions, however.
Meanwhile, Tottenham's admiration for the player was linked to their rather brief pursuit of Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey. Spurs were open to adding an energetic, goalscoring midfielder to their ranks and were eyeing a young signing that could also potentially play within their frontline.
Desire Doue
Desire Doue was electric for PSG against Liverpool
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Doue ticked all of those boxes but Rennes quickly made it clear they were looking to drive an auction when initially, Tottenham had thought the teenager might be available for a price in the region of £35m.
On the basis of both pulsating legs against Liverpool, Doue was certainly worth the £50m stumped up by PSG - both he and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were operating at an entirely different level to any other players on the pitch where technical ability was concerned.
He threatened the Liverpool goal immediately at the Parc des Princes, forcing Alisson into arguably the best of his nine saves on the night, before tormenting the Reds at Anfield and going close to a winner on two separate occasions.
PSG almost led through his curling second-half snapshot while his dribbling, agility and unpredictability caused Liverpool's backline huge problems as fatigue set in and their legs began to tire.
Man Utd, Arsenal and Spurs were all fans of Desire Doue before he joined PSG last summer
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In many respects, Doue is somewhat unfortunate that Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola are also at PSG because he is evidently more than good enough to start and his impact across both ties has undoubtedly given Enrique something to think about ahead of the quarter-finals.
Doue played 53 minutes of action last night and during that time he completed 100 per cent of his crosses and long balls, won four ground duels, completed two take-ons and also made two key passes.
But it was the way in which he manipulates the ball in tight spaces that was so easy on the eye and the combined package will leave Premier League clubs scratching their heads as to why they did not push the button on a transfer, given interest was genuine.
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