Leeds United may have settled on Joshua Guilavogui, but the Elland Road veteran was far from the only experienced midfielder under consideration back in October.
Before landing the former Wolfsburg captain on a free transfer three months ago, Leeds United ran the rule over a number of potential alternatives.
One being a World Cup winner. Leeds invited former Germany international Christoph Kramer to train at Thorp Arch. Part of the side which defeated Argentina 11 years ago thanks to a Mario Gotze winner in stoppage time, Kramer had worked with Daniel Farke at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Leeds considered ex-Crystal Palace and West Ham enforcer Cheikhou Kouyate, too. And then there’s Francis Coquelin. The one-time Arsenal battleaxe was another weighed up by the Championship leaders.
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Coquelin had been without a club since that previous summer, when his contract at La Liga outfit Villarreal expired.
Leeds would eventually move for Guilavogui rather than Coquelin, Kouyate or Kramer, however. A decision which was based around the Frenchman’s ‘unbelievable’ character, Farke explained, as well as has multi-lingual communication skills and his ability to act as a ‘mentor’ to the club’s next generation of talent.
Opportunities on the pitch have been limited, though. Guilavogui has made 12 substitute appearances, averaging around four minutes on the pitch each, since moving to England.
Perhaps Francis Coquelin was reticent to agree a deal which would have seen him operate as an experienced back-up, brought on to see things out. Perhaps the 33-year-old still feels he has a lot left to offer on the turf as well as in the dressing room.
Coquelin is now closing in on a long-awaited return to the professional game at last. He is set to join Ligue 1 strugglers Nantes.
And, speaking ahead of the deal’s completion, Nantes coach Antoine Kombouare made it clear that the former Valencia, Freiburg and Charlton Athletic man is not only arriving to impart advice onto the club’s youngsters, but also to make a much greater contribution on the turf than Guilavogui has made in West Yorkshire.
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“He is an experienced player who will bring us a lot,” Kombouare said, Coquelin offered a contract until the end of 2024/25. “He is strong in impact, capable of moving the ball.
“The difficulty is that he has not played for a long time. This week, I wanted to see what physical condition he was in. The quality of the player is not to be debated, I won’t even talk about it. It was mainly physical and I was reassured [that Coquelin is fit enough].”
As for Guilavogui, speculation over his future has arisen only a few months into his Leeds United career.
The ex-Atletico Madrid man has been offered a return to France. Paris FC opened talks with Guilavogui a few days ago. The Ligue 2 outfit are pushing for promotion having not graced the country’s top flight since 1979.
Guilavogui, like Coquelin, is only contracted until July. The chance to play a major role in a historic promotion in the French capital, and then spend the final days of his career in Ligue 1, may hold a great deal of appeal.
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