New Leeds United signing Josuha Guilavogui's orphanage background, Kouyate head-to-head and role revealed — YEP 23/10/24

By Joe Donnohue

Leeds United have confirmed the signing of Josuha Guilavogui as defensive midfield cover on a free transfer after former France international spent the past few days in Yorkshire.

The 34-year-old posed for photographs with fans as Leeds defeated Watford 2-1 at Elland Road, days after a 2-0 victory against Sheffield United at the same venue.

Leeds are known to have had a small number of free agents at Thorp Arch since news broke of Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu's lengthy injury lay-offs, in order to mitigate for the first-choice pair's prolonged absence.

Both players are expected to be out until New Year with Gruev undergoing surgery on his meniscus, while club captain Ampadu was pictured wearing a knee brace last Friday as United hosted the Blades.

A move for ex-West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate appeared close to fruition but the likelihood of the former Senegal international signing on the dotted line at Thorp Arch drifted with Guilavogui's appearance at recent fixtures.

The former France midfielder spent last season with German Bundesliga club 1.FSV Mainz 05, where he signed a one-year deal, making 11 league appearances after almost a decade with fellow top flight outfit VfL Wolfsburg.

Nominally a defensive midfielder, Guilavogui appeared as a centre-half in the majority of games he played for Mainz last term, prior to his release. Leeds boss Daniel Farke alluded to his preference that any new signing on a free transfer would be more useful if they were able to cover Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon, as well as Ampadu and Gruev slightly further up the pitch.

"The profile is important," Farke said last week. "We’re thin on the holding midfield option. Ethan was our first choice, the back-up would be Ilia.

“We’re also a bit thin on the centre-back position. Max [Wöber] is out and was not really available since he came back in the summer, although he’s a bit ahead of schedule. We have to keep in mind Pascal [Struijk] had an injury record in his CV, Joe Rodon is on four yellows.

“In an ideal situation we’d bring in a deep-lying midfielder who could also cope with the centre-back position," he added.

Why sign Guilavogui?

The Frenchman stands at 6ft 2in and has more recently been in the Middle East participating in a bespoke training programme geared towards out-of-contract players seeking to maintain a level of fitness that will help them find a new club.

Fitness and ability to contribute sooner rather than later remains of great importance to Farke when making the decision to supplement his defensive options from the limited free agent pool, amongst other things.

Guilavogui's parents come from the West African nation of Guinea and in 2019 the footballer set up an orphanage there, before establishing a foundation in his name to help support the project's long-term future three years ago.

Farke has reiterated that while footballing qualities are of vital importance to his decision of whether to sign a free agent or not, any incoming player must exhibit a mentality the manager feels will align with his existing group.

“He would come in to be a back-up solution, to bring his experience and teach and educate our young players," Farke said. "He should come in with the attitude to improve them. If a young player is struggling with the pressure with playing for a club like Leeds United, to not crack, we need a player who has experience and this mentality.

“This is what we’re searching for. It’s not easy but we have a few ideas and I’m carefully optimistic that we’ll have the chance to bring a good solution in the coming days or coming two weeks.”

As of 2022, Fondation Josuha Guilavogui supported 21 children at the orphanage in Conakry, Guinea, which is comprised of two classrooms, a canteen, playroom, medical office, a football pitch and volleyball court, providing education, shelter and sustenance to orphans housed by the facility.

“As a teenager, I swore to myself that I would give something back to people, if I achieve my dream to become a professional footballer. In autumn 2019, I put my resolution into practice and opened an orphanage in Guinea, West Africa – the land of my ancestors," Guilavogui says, on the foundation's website.

"For me, this project is so very close to my heart. We offer our orphans a loving home, the opportunity to go to school and grow up in a healthy, safe environment. With us, the children can really still be children and have a real chance of a good and fulfilling life."

Guilavogui's proficiency in the English language is also to a high standard, despite never playing in England before.

What does Guilavogui do on the pitch?

The 34-year-old last played over 1,000 minutes in a single campaign during the 2022/23 season, whilst still with Wolfsburg where he began the season in defensive midfield, before eventually dropping back to central defence.

That year, Guilavogui's passing numbers indicated that despite advancing years, he remained a progressive presence in the Wolfsburg team, ranking among the top 13 per cent of midfielders in the Bundesliga for passes completed into the final third. In addition, Guilavogui was among the top 14 per cent for progressive passes and top 18 per cent for passes into the penalty area, compared to his peers at the same level.

After 18 months of limited involvement, certainly in a midfield role, it is expected Guilavogui's performance levels in this regard will have dropped off somewhat, however they were measured at a higher standard, in the Bundesliga, than the Championship in which Leeds currently play.

Furthermore, Guilavogui's long pass completion and general security in possession during 2022/23 presents another green flag for Leeds' recruiters, especially compared to previously-explored alternative Kouyate, whose passing numbers were below par.

Kouyate, however, did offer more in terms of pure defensive work, getting through comparably more tackles and proving particularly difficult to dispossess, but Guilavogui's positional flexibility and adequate performance in the same department indicates the Frenchman is an altogether more rounded option. Taking into consideration Leeds' style and tendency to dominate the ball, acquiring a physically imposing defensive midfielder - who can also deputise at centre-back - who can play with the ball at his feet perhaps trumps the need for someone that dominates duels instead.

Given his stature, Guilavogui also offers something Leeds currently lack in terms of height and aerial prowess. Over the course of this Championship season, certain teams may look to exploit Leeds' physicality in the middle of the park. A triumvirate of Brenden Aaronson at the tip, with Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell in behind is not the most imposing, therefore adding a player who wins more than his fair share of aerial battles has the potential to nullify teams, such as Millwall or Derby County, whose possible approach may be to pump lofted balls into the middle of the pitch, playing off seconds and knock-downs.

At the very least, it gives Farke that option, rather than requiring Rodon or Struijk to vacate their position in the back-line to challenge an opposing striker who has dropped off to receive a long punt upfield from the goalkeeper.

Beyond the last few seasons, Guilavogui's data is of little use but throughout his career, which has taken him from Saint-Etienne to Atletico Madrid, Girondins de Bordeaux and the aforementioned Bundesliga clubs, he has remained an anchor, sometimes operating as a single pivot at the base of midfield, or alongside a more attack-minded partner. Tanaka and Rothwell are both more comfortable as No. 8s, therefore lining up with Guilavogui would theoretically give them greater license to fulfil functions they are more accustomed to.

Another potential benefit to Guilavogui's signing is the role he could feasibly carry out in build-up. When in possession at the back, Leeds tend to deploy the deepest central midfielder between the centre-halves, allowing full-backs Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle to push on and join the attacking line in a 3-1-6 formation with the remaining central midfielder providing cover in front of the defence.

Guilavogui's tendency to attempt and complete long passes gives Leeds the facility to instruct Bogle, Firpo and other wide players to get chalk on their boots, staying aggressively wide, stretching opposing defences in the knowledge that the newest addition to the squad has the capacity to find them over distance. Ampadu has executed this to good effect on occasion, but not as frequently as Elland Road predecessors such as Kalvin Phillips, for example. Meanwhile, that side of the game does not come naturally to Gruev at all.

Leeds have taken their time when deciding upon a free agent and Guilavogui ticks the boxes.