Emile Heskey is not surprised to see Leeds United linked with a summer move for Torino defender Nicolas Nkoulou, speaking exclusively to HITC.
For Marcelo Bielsa, familiarity breeds anything but contempt.
The Leeds boss wants players he can trust above all else, on-field foot-soldiers willing to smash through walls and carry out his unique tactical instructions to the letter.
Nkoulou certainly falls into that category.
The 30-year-old Cameroon international was a key cog in the Marseille machine which took French football by storm in 2014/15, flirting with the title before settling for a Champions League spot.
And, according to Tuttosport, Bielsa is desperate to reunite with his former Stade Velodrome favourite at Elland Road, although bitter rivals Manchester United are also eyeing a deal for the experienced centre-back.
Nkoulou is due to become a free agent in July and Heskey believes his proven track record in a Bielsa side stands him in good stead ahead of a potential switch to West Yorkshire.
“A Bielsa type of player; someone who, if you put him man for man, he knows he can dominate. He knows that nine times out of ten, he’s going to win his battles. He knows what his job is,” explained the former England international.
“The fact that he’s a player who Bielsa knows, that’s probably why he’s going to him. Someone he can trust.
“Coming into the Leeds side, you know you’ve got to be very good, regardless of what position you play, at one v ones. You’re going to be left one v one a lot of the time. You’ve got to be ready to go one v one against that player and not let him past you.”
Six years have gone by since Nkoulou last played under Bielsa, of course, and it remains to be seen if he still has the agility to thrive in a free-wheeling Leeds team.
Having said that, his impressive leap and dominant aerial presence should, in theory, have a transformative impact on Leeds’ ability to defend set-pieces.
Corner kicks remain the closest thing the Whites have to an Achilles heel.
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