Leeds United big brother's 23-word message for Josuha Guilavogui as 'legacy' admission made
The chance to join Leeds United was too good to pass up for the midfielder.
Josuha Guilavogui needed little convincing when the chance arose to join Leeds United - but a text from old friend and ‘big brother’ Max Gradel helped him along the way anyway.
The 34-year-old had been without a club for five months when the call came in October, having been released by Mainz following the end of his one-year deal in Germany. Leeds were close to crisis after losing both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev to serious knee injuries within days of each other and despite Daniel Farke’s reservations, decided to dip into the free agent market.
Leeds fans, as they do so often, quickly found a link back to their club with Guilavogui spending a season competing for Wolfsburg minutes with Mateusz Klich during the 2014/15 campaign. But it was a relationship formed way further back that the midfielder leaned on when weighing up his future.
Gradel left Leeds for French outfit Saint-Etienne back in 2011, having helped guide the Whites back into the Championship. He was only 23 at the time but came straight in as a key player, playing regularly with an academy prospect three years his junior who was breaking into the first-team picture.
“With Max Gradel, he’s like a big brother for me,” Guilavogui told Leeds Live. “Max Gradel is one of the guys, when he's coming in the locker room, he’s always smiling, always have a good mood. I really like him and we spoke when I signed for Leeds.
“We spoke a little bit and he said ‘Yeah, bro, you have to enjoy it, this is a wonderful team and the club is big and I'm so happy for you.’ He's still playing in Turkey. I'm always texting with him. We have really good memories together.”
The form of Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka has limited Guilavogui to a supporting role despite those injury issues, with the October arrival racking up just 36 league minutes across four substitute appearances. But the French international is not downing tools over that lack of action - the opposite, in fact.
Guilavogui has quickly endeared himself to Leeds supporters, wearing his heart on his sleeve and making no secret of how grateful he is to be a part of the set up in West Yorkshire. And the chance to extend a legacy keeps him motivated.
“Yes, already, one month, but it feels like it was yesterday,” the midfielder admitted of his early Leeds spell. “I'm really happy to be there. For me, it's a big chance. I was at home and I had some offers, but nothing really where I said ‘Okay, I have to do it.’ When I had this call from my agent that Leeds were looking for someone in midfield, I said ‘Okay, if I have the chance to do it, I will do it because Leeds is a great club, a generational club.’
“In football, the value of a club is from the past and the past from Leeds is amazing. It's huge. Even for me, as a French guy, you know Eric Cantona was there, Olivier Dacourt was there. So you have a legacy and to add my name on this club is something really, really beautiful.”