Is Serhou Guirassy the real deal?

Serhou Guirassy was on a different planet to open the season, to the point where Stuttgart was sitting in first place in the Bundesliga. Since joining Rennes back in 2020, the striker has just gotten better with time and is among one of the best strikers in Germany. However, his recent injury stints have fans wondering if Guirassy is the real deal in European football. 

His form at the start of the season 

During the first nine matches of the Bundesliga season, Guirassy scored 15 goals. Only Harry Kane has a better scoring run this season. This includes two hattricks and three braces, with the match against FC Köln the only time he did not score.

What is even more impressive is last season, the golden boot winners in the Bundesliga were both Niclas Füllkrug and Christopher Nkunku with 16 goals. Guirassy is already at 14 in just eight games, which is something that hasn’t been seen in the league since Robert Lewandowski left. It’s because of Guirassy that Stuttgart sit in the top three of the table after finishing in 16th place last season, just saving themselves from relegation.   

Injury prone 

There’s a ton of pros about Guirassy, but we do have to address the cons. He has missed the last two matches with a hamstring injury after going on his enormous tear in the league. Dating back to last season, he had missed time in both February and March with a torn groin muscle.  

Though they are not serious injuries, the more injuries he picks up can lead to long-term ones that could keep him out for months. At the age of 27, it would be risky for a top European club to consider signing him to be his number one due to his age and prone to injuries.  

On the bright side, Guirassy has returned from injury and is back on the pitch as if he never left. He scored the game-winning penalty just before the international break, to take the 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, keeping them in third place in the league. As long as he keeps himself healthy, Stuttgart has nothing to worry about.

Decision to represent Guinea at the international level 

Certain footballers choose the national team they want to represent by how successful they are or for playing time. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had turned down chances to play for the French national team to represent Gabon, the country his father played for. Guirassy has decided to do the same.  

Born in Arles, Guirassy grew up playing for the French youth teams before deciding to represent Guinea, the country of his parents. This prevented him from playing in the highest competitions in international football, including both the FIFA World Cup and the Euros.

Though he can get away from playing internationally in Europe, Guirassy is just a step off from being listed with elite strikers like Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski. However, the forward could do something special with Stuttgart as they are on pace to qualify for a European competition for the first time since the 2019/20 campaign.