Who is Melvin Bard? The deadline day Leeds United transfer target as 'deal agreed' — YEP 1/9/26
By Kyle Newbould
Leeds United are edging towards a deadline day transfer amid
reports they have agreed a deal to sign Melvin Bard on loan.
Reports emerged overnight that Bard was set to join the
Whites on a season-long loan from OGC Nice. The French club are believed to be
receiving an initial €1million loan fee with a €5m option to buy.
Should Bard’s deadline day deal go through, Leeds will have
filled a priority squad gap in the form of left-back cover. Below, the YEP
rounds up all you need to know on the man who could become summer signing
number six.
Who is Melvin Bard?
Born near Lyon in France, Bard has spent his entire career
in his home country. The defender joined Lyon’s academy as a teenager and after
making 34 appearances for their B team, signed a first professional contract in
August 2019.
Bard made his first-team debut four months later and racked
up 19 appearances across all competitions as a youngster. But the opportunity
for more regular senior football arrived when joining Nice in a €3m deal in
2021.
Joining as a 20-year-old, Bard instantly cemented himself as
a first-team regular, playing 37 games across all competitions during his first
campaign at the Allianz Riviera. In each of his five full seasons at Nice, the
left-back has never played fewer than 32 matches with a total of 192
appearances yielding seven goals and six assists.
Bard’s regular football at club-level helped him rise
through the international ranks too. He’s played for every France age group
between Under-17s and Under-21s. He also represented his nation at the Tokyo
Olympics in 2021.
Melvin Bard style of play
One thing Leeds will like about Bard is his versatility,
with the French youth international most natural at left-back but also
comfortable playing on the left of a back three. According to Transfermarkt,
he’s played 32 games in the middle of defence and 43 on the left of midfield.
Bard was among the best full-backs for chance creation
across Ligue 1 last season, with an average of 0.56 chances and 0.19 big
chances created per 90 minutes placing him among the top 10 per cent of
positional peers for both metrics. That will mostly come from wide areas, with
the Frenchman recording 0.56 successful crosses per game.
For reference - albeit in a more difficult league -
Gudmundsson created 0.72 chances but 0.14 big chances per game, with 0.82
successful crosses swung in. The current first-choice is therefore slightly
better in terms of attacking output but not miles ahead by any means.
Bard is slightly ahead when looking at defensive
contributions - a combination of clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles
- averaging 6.84 per 90 minutes last season compared to Gudmundsson with 6.21
according to FotMob. Where the pair might differ slightly is how they progress
play.
Gudmundsson made himself a firm favourite for his bursting
runs down the left, averaging an impressive 1.33 successful dribbles per 90
minutes compared to Bard’s 0.6. The Frenchman is more accustomed to picking a
pass from deeper and plays more than his potential new teammate at 34.48 per
game compared to 24.91.
A situation in which Bard’s playing style might prove useful
is when Leeds want to commit one wing-back forward but keep one deeper, with
Bogle pushing on down the right. In such a scenario, the imminent arrival would
be comfortable progressing play with passes from deeper and maintaining a more
defensive position and potentially tucking into the back three.
