PROFILE | Strasbourg’s Guéla Doué rounds out his profile in 2025 | OneFootball

Guéla Doué comes from a talented family, fitting given his surname, which translates as talented. As well as his brother, Désiré, who deservedly fits inside our top 10 this year, there is also his cousin at Toulouse FC, Yann Gboho, who made our top 50, whilst another one of his brothers, Eddy, is also coming through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain. 

Guéla, however, certainly doesn’t exist in the shadow of his brother and he has certainly lived up to his name in 2025. His potential was evident when coming through at Rennes and he has delivered on that promise at Strasbourg. An Ivory Coast international, Doué is a versatile defender, equally at ease playing as a wing-back in a back five as he is as a centre-back, or as a more traditional full-back in a back four.

It was Doué’s attacking impact that was highlighted and leaned on at Rennes, but at the Meinau, his profile has been rounded out. “What I enjoy is defending. That has always been a part of me,” he said last season, and it has shown through. He ranked highly for duels won and ball recoveries last season in Ligue 1, but his improvements defensively did not come at the detriment of his attacking output, with the Rennes academy product ranking as one of the most progressive passers in Ligue 1 and as one of the best in terms of through balls.

Doué a ‘natural leader’, says Rosenior

An ever-present, regardless of where he plays on the pitch, he has added stats to his game, too, this season. He made just three goal contributions in 34 games in all competitions last season; this time around, he already has five in just 17 games.

As an international player, he has also assumed a leadership role in what is a famously very (very) youthful Strasbourg side. “He is a natural leader,” says Liam Rosenior. “He encourages the other players a lot and with this mentality, he can go very far.”

How far is one question, another one is where. Doué’s consistency over the past 18 months, coupled with his clear progression and versatility make him an excellent pick-up for more or less all Premier League sides. Given the club’s ownership situation, Le Racing will be under no obligation to sell Doué, but he is a player who, like Habib Diarra last summer, could garner a very high fee.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle