Forget everything you ever knew about Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres, Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitike, and whatever other striker half the Premier League has been linked to…Lucas Stassin is en route.

Okay, a little dramatic. But there’s real reason to be excited about this 20-year-old Belgian who currently plies his trade at St Etienne in Ligue 1.

Yes, THAT St Etienne, the ones who just suffered relegation to France’s 2nd tier, in only their first season back in the top flight.

And, as always, where one club suffers, another may benefit.

Lucas Stassin (who just feels like one of those players you always say the full name of) made the move to France from Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League just last Summer. St Etienne had achieved promotion, and needed to bolster their attack in any attempt to survive the top division.

While they ultimately did not achieve their objective, Lucas Stassin is not to blame. The young striker delivered 12 goals and 4 assists in his 28 appearances, only 22 of those being starts.

“But it’s 2025! Our striker can’t ‘just score goals’ anymore” I hear you say. Well, some of you. And Haaland does still exist…

But anyway, I have good news. Lucas Stassin is much more than the goals that he scores. As a forward he’s constantly on the move, and eager to get involved in build-up play, link with the wide players, and even dip into the channels himself.

I mean, just take a look at this heatmap from this 24/25 domestic league campaign. You won’t see many centre-forwards looking like this…

And how about a quick peek at the passing stats…

Standing at 6’0 and with a fairly big frame, at first glance you’d think Lucas Stassin may struggle in small pockets of space, but his ability to play the ball with intent on his first or 2nd touch is excellent. Constantly pulling defenders out of position, receiving passes under pressure, and unlocking defences with quick feet and purposeful passing.

That deft first touch also makes him quite a handful on the dribble. Check out this excellent goal against Stade de Reims, where Stassin plays a first-time layoff out of the air before diving into the space left behind by the defender who had attempted to squeeze him.

He bursts down the left channel, recovers a slightly overhit touch to send the covering defender to a different dimension, before dinking the finish over the goalkeeper. 

It’s a work of art.

And that demonstrates the fun part about Lucas Stassin.

There’s usually a rather large caveat when you see a young striker with excellent link-up play, passing, movement, and game intelligence.

“Oh, yeah he’s not a great finisher, but he can do everything else! He’ll get better in front of goal…”

Lucas Stassin is already a strong finisher. 

In his debut season in France, the young Belgian forward has scored just above what his xG suggests. But there’s also an argument to suggest that he has the capacity to score a lot more.

Stassin has been very selective with his shooting. Opting to shoot a loss less than many of the other forwards at St Etienne – the likes of Zuriko Davitashvili and Ibrahim Sissoko. But when he does choose to strike, it often lands on target at the very least.

Everything combined, and you get the impression that Stassin’s potential ceiling could be very, very high.

Here’s a statistical comparison between Lucas Stassin and a selection of other forwards reportedly on the market this Summer.

An important caveat here is that these stats are “per 90” and Stassin has by far the fewest minutes on the board, which could skew the data. But it’s fascinating to see that while he does stand out a little in terms of profile, he certainly doesn’t stand out in terms of being significantly better or worse than the other forwards – some of which could be moving for upwards of £70M this Summer.

Lucas Stassin, on the other hand, could be available for as little as £15M. With St Etienne forced to the negotiating table with considerably less leverage following their relegation from Ligue 1.

The list of potential suitors is a long one. Wolves, West Ham, Brighton, Brentford, Sunderland, Marseille, and newly promoted Paris FC have all been linked by media outlets over the last several weeks. Though St Etienne themselves insist that Stassin is not for sale, it does seem unlikely they’ll be able to hold on to him if that interest manifests into tangible offers.

Lucas Stassin has also notched nine appearances for the Belgian U21 side, along with two goals. He’s considered by many to not be far away from a call-up to the men’s team in the near future, and may even have half an eye on the 2026 World Cup.