Bradley Barcola: PSG's €45m Kylian Mbappe successor who plays like Marcus Rashford

Barcola has always been a part of the Lyon setup. Born to a Togolese family, less than 10 miles from the Stade de Gerland — the French giants' old home — he played for various feeder clubs in his early years.

AS Buers were his first club, a tiny set-up in the suburb of Villeurbanne, and after two years he moved into the Lyon academy and began on a path that has previously churned out such talents as Eric Abidal, Hatem Ben Arfa, Florent Malouda, Samuel Umtiti and Karim Benzema. His story from there is a relatively familiar one. Barcola wasn't tagged as an immense talent, but steadily worked through the ranks for his hometown side.

He perhaps benefitted from a rare dry spell in Lyon's academy, with the famed French club failing to produce any world-class players over a short spell in the late 2010s. Still, he did enough to stick around and make an impact at numerous youth levels.

So, when Barcola started scoring for fun for the Under-19s in both the UEFA Youth League and Ligue 1 reserves, the higher-ups took notice. By early 2020, Barcola had established himself as the best goalscoring winger in Lyon's youth set-up, bagging nine in 15 appearances, while adding three assists. That calibre of play saw him promoted to the reserve side, and put him in contention for first-team training.

Peter Bosz's spell at the helm in Lyon was short-lived, the Dutch manager only lasting 10 matches before being sacked in late 2021. However, he did opt to give some promising young players a chance, and Barcola was among them, called up to first-team training while routinely appearing in matchday squads in the first half of the season.

He made an immediate impact on his full debut, as Barcola came off the bench in a Europa League clash against Sparta Prague, and provided the assist for Lyon's third goal of the night — a quick piece of skill and delicate chip to the far post that was dutifully headed home to seal an emphatic 3-0 win.

The assist alone wasn't enough to make him a regular, as new boss Laurent Blanc didn't immediately entrust him with minutes. But it certainly put him in contention, and the young Frenchman started two of Lyon's last three games of the season — a sign of things to come.

Sure enough, Barcola became a regular in 2023. He needed a few months to bed into the side, and was only handed sparing minutes in the early goings of the season. But he earned his first start in the Coupe de France in early January, scoring against Metz to cap off a star showing.

It was the beginning of a glittering run for his side. Lyon struggled for the first half of the season, and were hurt by poor form either side of the World Cup. Things changed, though, when Barcola worked his way into the XI. The winger started almost every game of the second half of the season, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists as Les Gones turned their fortunes around.

Blanc highlighted his quality in early April: "He doesn't second-guess himself... He scores goals, even though he is not necessarily an out-and-out striker. He can easily eliminate his opponents with his technical finesse and speed."

Barcola's breakout moment came in a 1-0 win against PSG. The winger didn't start the game, but an injury to Amin Sarr forced the youngster onto the pitch, and he tore the Parisians apart for 70 minutes, creating immense problems with his pace and trickery.

He scored the eventual winner, sneaking in at the back post and tidily finishing past Gianluigi Donnarruma to steal a 1-0 victory at Parc des Princes. That was enough, it seems, to secure a big-money move.

Barcola is an archetypal modern winger. All of the traits of a top-tier talent are here. The fastest 20-year-old in Europe last year, he is suitably quick and a tidy dribbler who can beat an opponent one-on-one. He is at his best on the break, and is adept at playing angled passes for advancing forwards — the kind hat will undoubtedly come in handy playing in the same team as Kylian Mbappe.

There's also a valuable versatility to his game. Although Barcola is heavily right-footed, he has functioned across the front line, and is equally comfortable hugging the touchline on the right as he is tucking towards the goal as a left-sided inside forward.

Crucially for Luis Enrique, Barcola puts in the hard yards off the ball, too, ranking highly in interceptions, blocks and aerial duels won among wingers. Here is an immense talent, who can certainly develop in the right system.

As with any young winger, there are some concerns about Barcola's final product. He received the ball in the right areas on a consistent basis last season, but didn't always make the correct decision. Barcola often received jarring looks from a frustrated Alexandre Lacazette when mistiming a pass or taking an ill-advised shot. Still, that shouldn't present an immense problem for PSG, where he will undoubtedly benefit from a high volume of chances. He will, in effect, be given license to be inconsistent in the final third.

Another question mark also relates to Barcola's ability to play in tight spaces. He is impactful when running at full speed, but Luis Enrique prefers possession football, and PSG will likely face defensive setups in most of their Ligue 1 fixtures. Similar to the likes of Sadio Mane or Gabriel Martinelli, Barcola might struggle in such situations — at least in his early days in a PSG shirt.

There are a few obvious comparisons for Barcola. He is, in many ways, evocative of Martinelli, especially with his fearlessness on the break, and ability to accelerate and decelerate with immense precision. There's also a bit of Mane about him.

But perhaps the most apt comparison — and reasonable target under a new system — is Marcus Rashford. Barcola is a right-footed player who thrives on the left, and is direct to a fault. Like Rashford, he is quick on the ball, immensely skilfull, and a solid — but not elite — finisher when running in behind. Barcola also shares Rashford's ability to collect the ball between the lines and dart forward. They even have a similar running style.

Rashford would indeed be a lofty target, and perhaps an ironic one, given the Parisians' rumoured interest in the Manchester United star in the past. But for his price-tag, at 20, it's not too far-fetched.

Life at PSG might not be easy. Barcola, remember, was due to be a stalwart at Lyon for the foreseeable future, and would undoubtedly be among the first team for years to come. Instead, he faces something of a reset. Mbappe, Dembele, Asensio, Ramos and perhaps Randal Kolo Muani will be ahead of him in the Parisian pecking order. Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in will also fight for minutes on either wing.

But the opportunities should still come, and Luis Enrique will undoubtedly want to give the youngster a chance. There is a feeling he is perhaps going to be groomed to one day step into Mbappe's boots, and so getting the chance to learn from and play alongside the World Cup winner will be invaluable.

There's good news on the national-team front, too. Barcola made an impact for France at the U21 Euros last summer, and should get further opportunities with Thierry Henry looking to implement his own style as he takes over the side.

PSG may not be the best choice if Barcola is looking to play 90 minutes every week, but it should be a fine place for a youngster of his calibre to develop.