Zachary Athekame Scout Report At Olympique Lyonnais 2026/2027: Why The AC Milan Loanee Can Thrive In Paulo Fonseca Tactics - Player Analysis

Who Is Zachary Athekame?

With the path that modern football has taken, one of the positions that has been affected the most is that of the full-back.

Full-backs being expected to have the ability to invert and join the midfield or tuck in alongside centre-backs as part of the rest defence has truly changed the way we see football.

Switzerland U21 full-back Zachary Athekame is a hybrid of the old and new style of the game.

Signed from Swiss side BSC Young Boys, Italian side AC Milan expected Athekame to provide the solution to their right-back problems.

However, with previous coach Massimiliano Allegri preferring the experience of Alexis Saelemaekers, Athekame rarely got a chance to show his qualities.

Now, with Rúben Amorim preferring a different profile in the mould of Samuel Chukwueze, Athekame has seen himself out of the project.

This saw Athekame listed on the transfer market and joining Olympique Lyonnais for the 2026/2027 season on a dry loan, where he has already scored one goal and made one assist in three Ligue 1 appearances.

In this Zachary Athekame scout report and player analysis, we take a look at Athekame’s style of play in and out of possession and how he could suit Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca.

Zachary Athekame Physical Profile

Athekame stands tall at 1.81 metres (a good height for a full-back) and has the body type of an ectomorph.

He uses long strides while covering ground efficiently, which allows him to cover ground efficiently while preventing injuries. 

He is not an explosive player, but he is able to reach his top speed in a moderate amount of time, showing he has adequate acceleration.

His jumping reach is also moderate, which does not make him the most aerially dominant defender. 

Athekame is also a good communicator on the pitch, often helping teammates out during defensive and attacking phases of the game.

Zachary Athekame Style Of Play In Possession

Athekame likes to take his first touch with the inside of his foot, therefore enabling him to maintain control of the ball and not allowing it to bounce off his foot, thereby giving him the ability to resist pressure. 

Being ambidextrous allows him the ability to receive the ball comfortably with both feet.

It allows him to open multiple passing angles and keep various options open.

Athekame plays a vital role when Milan attempted to build out from the back under coach Allegri.

Depending on the situation, he would come short or go high to allow play to develop, as seen in Figure 1.

He often used to come short to provide the goalkeeper with a wide passing option that allowed Milan to progress the ball through the wide areas and avoid the central overloads of the opponent.

In case he was man-marked, he would run ahead, dragging his marker with him and, thereby, vacating his position and pulling back the opponent's passing line further.

These movements created space for Milan’s central defender or a deep-lying midfield playmaker like Luka Modrić to occupy and progress the ball forward.

Sometimes, Athekame can also perform double movements where he initially moves forward but then stops in his tracks and moves back to receive the ball either from the goalkeeper or the centre-back.

Perhaps the fundamental aspect of Athekame’s game is his ability to cross the ball.

He has a wide variety of deliveries, such as whipped-in crosses, floated crosses, and cutbacks.

He can produce pinpoint deliveries into dangerous areas.

As seen in Figure 2, Athekame withdrew from the penalty area to receive a pass from Luke Modrić.

Once he controlled the ball, he looked up to judge the position of his teammates, and he brought the ball right below his head and before his body, delivering an outswinging cross to the space between the last line of defenders and the goalkeeper.

A moment of indecision between the 'keeper and the defenders allowed Ruben Loftus-Cheek to head the ball into goal.

A trait perhaps less valued under Athekame is his long-range shooting.

Both of his goals for Milan came from long-range efforts in crucial situations. 

He used an instep drive technique wherein he goes for placement rather than power.

Against Genoa, Athekame scanned ahead of him to assess the position of the goalkeeper before unleashing his shot. 

This increases his effectiveness in the final third, as seen in Figure 3.