Ibrahima Baldé-Taïryk Arconte, the new strike duo unearthed by Rodez | OneFootball

Rodez have once more hit on an effective front two. Ibrahima Baldé and Taïryk Arconte have 14 goals between them, and the 11th-placed side are on 30 points and seem on course for a relatively calm survival, eight clear of Amiens in the play-off spot and 13 ahead of Laval in the drop zone.

On 23 January at Nancy, Arconte set up Baldé in a 3-1 win. The pair’s form is part of an eight-match unbeaten run, capped by a 2-1 success at Boulogne last time out. According to L'Équipe, the duo typifies a club blueprint built around productive partnerships.

Two years ago Andréas Hountondji and Killian Corredor scored 26 combined, and last season Timothé Nkada and Tawfik Bentayeb delivered 27. That success is described internally as collective, led by general manager Grégory Ursule and development director Guillaume Laurens.

They work to a long-standing 3-5-2, recruit all year and narrow each position to roughly 10 options. The club use several data tools as virtual scouts, but prioritise defining needs and signing players who fit.

Rodez target players for whom Ligue 2 is a step up, often from leagues such as Slovenia, which brought Nkada, and Morocco, which yielded Bentayeb. With a €7.7m budget, those tools are valuable in a difficult economy.

Baldé, 23, was already at the club last season, and Arconte, 22, returned after a year at Pau. The approach favours footballers on an upward curve who can be patient in the hierarchy, with promises kept when performances warrant it.

Source: L'Équipe