Ny spiller: Josuha Guilavogui

[Hallgeir *]

Leeds United are pleased to confirm the signing of Josuha Guilavogui on a contract until the end of the 2024/25 season, subject to a work permit.

The Whites have secured the services of the 34-year-old former French international, who can play in midfield and defence, after he became a free agent following his departure from Bundesliga side Mainz 05, over the summer.

Guilavogui began his career with Saint Etienne in France, playing over 100 times for the club after progressing through the youth system. Whilst with Les Verts, he helped the team to win the Coupe de la Ligue in 2012/13.

Strong performances for his club impressed the national team bosses too, which saw the midfielder earn a call up for his country in 2013, gaining the first of seven caps for Les Bleus, adding to his 15 appearances for the Under-21s.

In the summer of 2013, Atletico Madrid moved to secure Guilavogui's signature, and he played in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League during his time in Spain, prior to moving to the Bundesliga.

Initially joining VfL Wolfsburg on loan, he made the move permanent and went on to play over 250 times for the German side. Success came with the club, who lifted both the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.

More recently, Guilavogui has played for Bordeaux and Mainz 05, gaining further experience at the top level in France and Germany.

Everyone would like to welcome Josuha to Elland Road, subject to international clearance and the necessary paperwork being ratified, it is hoped he will be eligible to face Bristol City in the Sky Bet Championship at Ashton Gate on Saturday.

https://www.leedsunited.com/en/news/josuha-guilavogui-signs-for-leeds-united

[Asbjørn]

Virker som Leeds falt ned på valget av Josuha fordi
1. Kan være dekning på på midten og i midtforsvaret
2. Har vært på 'treningsleir' blant andre ute-av-kontrakt'-spillere og skulle dermed ha et visst treningsgrunnlag i boks allerede
3. Har en profil som gjør at han kan være fin å ha i en ung tropp der han vet det kan bli lite spilletid

YEP har gode svar her:
https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/new-leeds-united-signing-josuha-guilavoguis-orphanage-background-kouyate-head-to-head-and-role-revealed-4837005

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 possible 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 movement, if there is to be any, will come in the next couple of days.

[Hallgeir *]

Virker som en positiv fyr som ikke bare kommer med de vanlige frasene de fleste nye spillere lirer av seg når de signerer for en ny klubb.

Leeds United bolstered their ranks with the signing of midfielder Josuha Guilavogui, who joins the club until the end of the season.

Capped seven times by the French national team, the 34-year-old brings extensive experience to the heart of the engine room, having played in Ligue 1, La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Champions League throughout his illustrious career.

Speaking after penning a deal with the Whites, the former Atletico Madrid player told LUTV of his delight in joining Daniel Farke's side.

"I have never played in England and I think as a football player this is a really amazing experience and for playing for Leeds, a historic club, this is a wonderful opportunity for me," Guilavogui explained.

"I am looking forward to training with the team, to help the team on the pitch, outside the pitch as well and hopefully that we set our goals.

"I had some offers, but nothing that I would say, okay, let's do it. And when my agent called me and said that Daniel has interest to sign me and watched over me, I said, yeah, let's go straight, straight to Leeds.

"Sometimes in life you have some opportunities and you don't want to miss it. I am really happy to be here.

"When I spoke with our manager, he knows what I can bring on the pitch and also outside the pitch, because we don't forget that we have injured players and I am there to help them. And when they will recover, I will also help the young players.

"That is why I was captain, like everywhere where I played, because I am someone that is always thinking about how can I make my teammates better, how can I improve. I am here for helping the team and I really hope that we will go to the Premier League.

"It is always better to jump in the team when they are winning and I was there for the game against Sheffield United and it was a really amazing performance. They had no chance and we could have scored more than two goals. So, yeah, it is a really good feeling."

https://www.leedsunited.com/en/news/josuha-guilavogui-this-is-a-wonderful-opportunity

[auren]

Velkommen! Høres ut som en fornuftig signering. Bedre cover nå på midtbane og midtstopper-plassen. Snart kommer vel Wöber også tilbake og Ampadu er forhåpentligvis tilgjengelig igjen om 5-6 uker. At han har mye rutine, har tidligere vært kaptein, og bryr seg mest om å gjøre andre spillere gode, er vel musikk i de flestes ører. Slike typer trenger vi on and off pitch!

auren

[GaryMac]

Intervju ute på YouTube

https://youtu.be/BzRXvvywVHc?si=aUFolLO5w4hliNbt

Velkommen!

[Asbjørn]

Godt vi har statistikere som Cooper     

Josuha Guilavogui will become just the third player to play for Leeds United whose name contains as many as nine vowels, after Toumani Diagouraga and Souleymane Doukara. #lufc
https://x.com/JRCooper26/status/1849121570771394807

[Asbjørn]

🎙 Josuha Guilavogui evidently done his homework on #LUFC. Says he turned down other clubs, will be in touch with Olivier Dacourt and that signing for Leeds is one of those opportunities in life you can't afford to miss. Charm offensive.

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk//sport/football/leeds-united/josuha-guilavogui-name-checks-leeds-united-heroes-in-first-words-charm-offensive-and-admits-turning-down-other-clubs-4837417

[GaryMac]

Blir det Josh, Josuha eller Guila?

[lojosang]

Blir det Josh, Josuha eller Guila?

Som cover-spiller må det vel bli Vogue?

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[auren]

Blir det Josh, Josuha eller Guila?

Som cover-spiller må det vel bli Vogue?

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

Haha 

auren

[Kato]

Håper de har brukt samme speider som fant Tanaka.

[stian]

Ikke dumt dette her. En type som passer inn spillemessig, og som ut fra intervjuet forstår hva han går til, høres for meg ut som lav risiko. Når han får en såpass lang avtale må det bety at klubben vurderer at det er en god del fotball igjen i kroppen også.

Selv om han ikke spiller et minutt for Leeds  gir det god mening å rigge seg for å tåle skader/suspensjon i utsatte posisjoner. Bra transferbusiness for en klubb som går for seriegullet!

[GeirO]

Er vel ingen av våre spillere som har vært i nærheten av den karrieren Josh har hatt. Men han er jo tydeligvis på vei ned, og skader er jo bestandig en issue...

[Asbjørn]

Er vel ingen av våre spillere som har vært i nærheten av den karrieren Josh har hatt. Men han er jo tydeligvis på vei ned, og skader er jo bestandig en issue...

Det må vi ha i bakhodet - det er ingen spiller i sin prime som kommer.
Han har en solid CV, tydeligvis gode holdninger som han faktisk setter ut i live (barnehjemmet).
Hans viktigste bidrag blir antakelig på treningsfeltet og verbalt.

[GaryMac]

Noen som har fått med seg hvor lang kontrakt Josh fikk?

[Tom]

Noen som har fått med seg hvor lang kontrakt Josh fikk?

Ut sesongen.

[Fantasyland]

Hele intervjuet av han ble lagt ut på X for en times tid siden. Fremstår utrolig sympatisk og ydmyk overfor oppgaven som venter. Er fullstending klar på hva han kan bidra med. Stor tommel opp fra meg.

[Cherry]

Hvis han i tillegg leverer på banen de ganger han blir "spilt på" - så er dette en stødig
squad player.  Ser han har vært kaptein i lengre perioder, det vitner om at han både har kvalitet på banen og som menneske.
Spennende å se om vi benytter han som spiller.

[Asbjørn]

Blir det Josh, Josuha eller Guila?

Tror du fikk svaret ditt på dagens presser:
Farke:
We would not allow Illan and Josh to speak too much in French, for example.

[Asbjørn]

Sikkert en del som allerede er lei av å høre om pre match talk'en til Guilavogui allerede, men det som står igjen er at vi har fått en erfaren røst i troppen som er viktig selv om han ikke spiller så mye.

Better performances on the road are essential for Leeds United to compete with the likes of Sheffield United and win promotion. That's the view Josuha Guilavogui gave LeedsLive a few days before he delivered a stirring speech in the bowels of Swansea City's stadium that drove a last-gasp 4-3 win.

The veteran has only been in the building for one month, but his immense experience has already seen him become a key voice in Daniel Farke's dressing room. The manager pulled back the curtain on Sunday's preparation and pointed to a stirring talk the 34-year-old gave pre-match.

https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/josuha-guilavogui-leeds-united-warning-30458092