Multiple sources have reported that Chelsea are set to sign Rennes midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. Here's everything you need to know about the talented youngster.
Biography
The 19-year-old is a defensive midfielder. He's 191cm (6 ft 3 in) tall and admits he encountered some racist stereotypes about black players in relation to his height.
“When I was younger, I had some tournaments where I was among the tallest and sometimes you’d hear people say, ‘He’s not really 12’ or ‘He’s not born in France’,” Ugochukwu told the Athletic.
”But it didn’t really affect me because I know the truth.”
Lesley was born in Rennes to Nigerian parents. His father was an amateur player back in Nigeria and his uncle Onyekachi Apam made 14 appearances for Nigeria's national team, playing for Nice and Rennes in France.
Ugochukwu speaks fluent French and English and his teammates have a nickname for him, 'Chuks' or 'Chukwu'.
Career so far
Ugochukwu has played for Rennes since the under-nine level, making his senior debut in April 2021. Since then, he's made 60 first-team appearances for the French side, scoring and assisting once.
The midfielder is a France U19 international, having earned nine caps. He also played nine games at the U18 level. Ugochukwu is also eligible to represent Nigeria through ancestry.
Style of play
A holding midfielder with excellent tackling skills, Ugochukwu is predominately used to disrupt the opposition's attack and win the ball back. His defensive stats such as tackles, interceptions and blocks clearly put him as an excellent holding midfielder.
Here are his defensive numbers via FBRef (all stats per 90 minutes). The column on the left shows how good he is in that particular metric compared to other players in his position. Think of it like FIFA video game ratings but stats-based.
Lesley' pace is one of his biggest strengths and the Athletic illustrated how he used it to provide an assist in Rennes' 2-0 win against none other than PSG.
However, Ugochukwu's attacking numbers overall are not that good as he's barely involved in the final third. He can occasionally take on an opposition player but don't expect him to be a creative genius.
Role models
Ugochukwu says that his role model is Paul Pogba.
"I have always taken Paul Pogba as an example," the young midfielder said in an interview with Onze Mondial.
"My profile is similar to his. What he did during his time at Juve was huge."
The 19-year-old adds that he's been compared to Arsenal and Premier League legend Patrick Vieira.
“When I was small, I would watch the skills of players like Pogba and Vieira on YouTube,” he told the Athletic.
“They inspired me a lot because of the way they play. When I grew up, my academy coach sometimes called me ‘Vieira’ because they could see some techniques that he had before. I kind of see myself in both players.
“People like Vieira inspire me a lot because of what he did for Arsenal. It’s something that I want to do during my career, to live like that and for people to say, ‘Lesley was that kind of player’.”
Curiously, with Patrick Vieira now in charge of Strasbourg, Ugochukwu might end up working under the Arsenal legend's guidance. Lesley could reportedly join Todd Boehly-owned Strasbourg on loan.
