Aaron Boupendza: The Gabonese striker targeted by England’s biggest clubs
When you think of Gabon and football, it’s hard not to immediately think of Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The 31-year-old captains the national team, and is easily considered the most famous footballer ever from the West African nation. However, in recent years we have seen the emergence of other Gabonese stars. Central Midfielder Mario Lemina was signed by Italian powerhouse Juventus in 2015 after impressing with Marseille. 26-year-old attacking midfielder Denis Bouanga has been one of the most lethal attackers in the French Ligue 1 since joining Saint Ettiene in 2019.
The current Gabonese player with the most buzz is 24-year-old Hatayspor striker Aaron Boupendza. A product of his local Gabonese side CF Mounana, the 5’11 forward moved to French outfit Bordeaux in 2016. After four years and four rather unsuccessful loan spells behind him, Boupendza moved to Turkish SuperLig side Hatayspor in August 2020.
At his new club, the striker has reached unfound levels of success, netting a league high 18 goals. The left footer has left defenders dumbfounded with his impeccable poaching ability combined with excellent long strikes. It’s his prolific goalscoring that has attracted the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, Leicester according to 90min.com
To put his astronomical rise into context: Boupendza had zero first division playing time at the beginning of the season. Next season he is expected to play in the English Premier League.
The Gabonese striker has amazing composure in the box, often able to settle the ball metres away from the goal as defenders scramble towards him before putting the ball into the net. From free-kicks to headers to tap-ins, Boupendza has shown his ability to score a wide range of goals.
His goals have fired the newly promoted side to sixth in the league table, but it seems like he won’t be at the Antakya-based club for long if the reports that some of the United Kingdom’s best clubs are targeting him are indeed true.
Southampton have regularly assigned scouts to keep an eye on the striker and have identified him as a potential replacement for Danny Ings. Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Leicester City, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Brighton, Wolves, Celtic, and Rangers are also monitoring the Gabon international. Even
Hatayspor reportedly accepted a bid of around £7m from Russian side Krasnodar recently, only for Boupendza to reject the move, which makes sense considering the improved stature of the teams targeting him.
Apparently his international captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has spoken to Arsenal about signing the red-hot striker from the Turkish league, who is expected to cost less £9m due to his short contract.
Aubameyang and Boupendza after a Gabon match.
