Mohammed Salisu

Key strength: Aerial dominance

Defensive anchor

In the principality where glamour usually outweighs grit, Mohammed Salisu is quietly rewriting the script. AS Monaco sit 8th in Ligue 1 with an uneven WDWDL form guide, but the 26-year-old Ghanaian centre-back has been a rare constant in a season of turbulence. With 18 appearances and 1,613 minutes under his belt, Salisu has anchored a backline that's had to compensate for the free-scoring ambitions of teammates like Folarin Balogun and Maghnes Akliouche. His solitary goal hints at set-piece threat, yet it's his defensive fundamentals—65-rated defending backed by 60-rated physicality—that truly define his worth. Just one yellow card in nearly 1,700 minutes speaks to a defender who wins the ball with intelligence rather than cynicism. Signed for €10 million from Southampton, Salisu brought Premier League hardness to a Monaco side that's often prioritised flair over steel. While Ansu Fati and Takumi Minamino draw the spotlight further up the pitch, the former Saints man does the unglamorous work: aerial dominance, recovery tackles, and the kind of positional discipline that allows Monaco's creative talents to flourish. In a team searching for consistency, Salisu has become their most reliable presence.