PROFILE | Ludovic Ajorque – Brest forward back with a bang | OneFootball

Considered one of the hottest commodities in France a few seasons ago, Ludovic Ajorque has resurfaced in Ligue 1 this season and is making a strong impact once again.

The French striker, currently on loan from Bundesliga side Mainz, has been a nice addition for Brest, a side aiming to prove their third-place finish in the league last season was no fluke. While Éric Roy’s men haven’t shown the same kind of consistency domestically from a season ago, Ajorque has fit in well to this squad, netting four league goals in his first 13 league appearances.

Standing at 1.90m in height, he’s a massive presence for Brest in the air, while his strength and power requires plenty of attention from opposing central defenders. Before moving to Germany, he had a great strike partnership at Strasbourg alongside Kevin Gameiro. Between them, they scored 23 domestic goals during the 2021-22 campaign, with a dozen coming from the man born in Saint-Denis, Réunion. His best season in Ligue 1 came in 2020-21 when he scored 16 times in the French top-flight, many of which were headers.

Ajorque providing Brest with reasons to retain

As you might imagine, Ajorque has been a towering presence through the air this season, winning over 50 aerial duels. At the same time, he’s rarely been pushed off the ball when in possession, winning plenty of those balls in the final third. He’s not shown any fear of throwing in a challenge either, while committing many fouls, largely due to his massive size and strength when compared to even the biggest defenders in Ligue 1.

In a short amount of time this season, Ajorque has rediscovered his form in front of goal, already with as many Ligue 1 goals this season than he had in his previous Bundesliga campaign in 2023-24 (two). It isn’t only his improved form in front of goal which has been noticeable over this campaign, but his ability to make his teammates look better. Notably, in the UEFA Champions League, it’s often taken multiple defenders to fend him off, leaving openings for his teammates, including Abdallah Sima, who has scored three goals in their first six fixtures of that competition. Ajorque has three assists in his first-ever Champions League campaign himself. He’s had over 20 shot-creating actions in Ligue 1 this season and over a dozen in the Champions League.

His loan to Brest in July came with an option to buy and so far, he has given Les Ty-Zéfs plenty of reasons to retain him.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre