PROFILE | Brest’s Ludovic Ajorque – the archetypal target man | OneFootball

When it comes to target men, you’re unlikely to find too many better than Brest’s Ludovic Ajorque, at least not in Ligue 1. At 197cm, he towers over defenders. Being tall is one thing; using it efficiently at the highest level is another entirely, and Ajorque certainly does that. 

No player has won more aerial duels than the Stade Brestois forward (85), and in Europe’s top five divisions, only Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk (93) has won more. But to use a commonly-used phrase, he also “has good feet for a big man”. In Ligue 1, he ranks inside the top 10 for successful take-ons and so this dual threat makes him so valuable for Brest, and with seven goal-creating actions, he ranks inside the top 10 in Ligue 1, as per FBref. 

Jean-Marie David, a former assistant to Régis Le Bris at Sunderland, and who is now an independent striker coach summed up Ajorque’s strengths: “He is a help for the team thanks to how he plays with his back to goal. He is important from set-pieces, both attacking and defensive. On aerial balls, he attracts a couple of defenders, a midfielder, too, and it creates space for others and allows those around him to shine.”

Goals down, assists up for Ajorque

A player who accentuates the strengths of others, he is a goal threat himself, logically, given his size and also the excellent crossing ability of Romain Del Castillo on the wing. Last season, he scored an impressive 13 league goals for Les Ty-Zéfs in what was an impressive campaign on an individual level, even if, collectively, it was one in which the club slipped back towards midtable and away from the lofty heights of the season prior.

He hasn’t been as prolific so far this season. He has just one goal to his name and looks unlikely to get close to last season’s goal haul, which was his best since scoring 16 for RC Strasbourg Alsace in the 2020/21 season. However, with four assists, he has already doubled his total from last season and only in  the 2021/22 season with Le Racing did he get more.

It never truly worked out for him at Mainz, where he spent two years before returning to France with Brest in 2024, but since his return to Ligue 1, he has picked up where he left off and continues to be effective, regardless of whether that is reflected in his statistics.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle