Marcelo Bielsa reportedly wants Leeds United to bring Paris FC’s Samuel Yohou to Elland Road; will he replace Ben White at the Premier League chasers?
If the Leeds United fans among you were wondering why Marcelo Bielsa has reportedly cherry-picked Samuel Yohou to fill a Ben White-shaped void at the heart of his back line this summer, this should answer your question.
As you might expect from a 28-year-old who counts one of the game’s real purists among his admirers, Yohou is not a centre-back content with clattering into challenges and thumping a loose ball into row-Z.
The Paris FC powerhouse named the three players he models his game on in a recent interview with Onze Mondial. And it is surely no coincidence that Yohou mentioned a trio of modern-day greats who can boast a peerless passing range that even the very best midfielders would be proud to call their own.
“At the moment, I like Clement Lenglet. He does not look like much but he is strong! He anticipates everything. As soon as the attacker turns around, he is already there,” Yohou said of the Barcelona star, before turning his attention to PSG’s Brazil international and a Juventus legend.
“(Lenglet) is super smart. He defends with his brain. I like to watch this type of defender. I really like Marquinhos. Otherwise, the reference is (Leonardo) Bonucci.”
According to Le10 Sport, Yohou’s impressive technical ability is one major reason why Bielsa is mulling over the idea of signing the Paris FC powerhouse for Leeds this summer.
Tall and rangy at 6ft 2ins, the former Ivory Coast youth star will be under no illusions that a defender playing for a Marcelo Bielsa team needs to be as comfortable on the ball as they are without it.
Yet with Marquinhos, Bonucci and Lenglet among his inspirations, Leeds supporters should have few concerns about Yohou’s ability to adapt to the boss’s ‘death by a thousand passes’ blueprint.
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