"Top" - Why Jean-Matteo Bahoya has not yet made Leeds United debut with note of caution and training insight
Why Jean-Matteo Bahoya has yet to make his Leeds United debut.
Whites boss Daniel Farke has explained why deadline day signing Jean-Matteo Bahoya has yet to make his Leeds United debut with a note of caution but exciting training insight.
France under-21s winger Bahoya joined Leeds from Eintracht Frankfurt in a very late deal on transfer deadline day, the 21-year-old sealing a season-long loan move with option to buy after a deal sheet was submitted.
Leeds paid an initial €2m loan fee to sign Bahoya, the Whites also holding a €23m option to buy the winger plus €5m of add-ons.
Bahoya’s move to Leeds was announced at 12.45am the day after transfer deadline day and the young Frenchman made the Whites bench for the first time in the Premier League clash at Brighton at the start of the month.
Bahoya also made the bench for both the midweek Carabao Cup clash at Chelsea and Monday night’s Premier League game at home to Newcastle United, the summer signing ultimately an unused substitute for both games.
Farke, though, says Bahoya would have made his Leeds debut in the cup clash at Chelsea but for Melvin Bard suffering cramp leading to a change of plans and in any case the Whites boss has issued a warning about the dangers of quickly throwing a young player into the “cold water” of the Premier League.
The Whites boss has also warned about the dangers of quickly changing the attacking pecking order but ultimately says Bahoya is “very close” to being involved, the Leeds boss saying the winger is continually edging closer with what he is showing on the training pitch.
Asked by the YEP how Bahoya had settled in and how close he was or has been to being involved, Farke said: “Very close. At Chelsea I think he was just five seconds away from coming on and then sadly a cramp more or less for Melvin Bard forced me into substituting in a different position.
"Obviously with Jean-Matteo he came more or less from the bench, he was sitting on the bench at the end of last season also and the beginning of the season in the Bundesliga, and especially with a young boy, I have to look after them that they are really well-prepared when I throw them into the cold Premier League water.
"I know how this league is, it is unforgivable and if you put a player in and it's not a good performance on the debut then pretty quick a player is buried already.
"I have to say he is a top character, a player with lots of potential, lots of skills”
”I have to make sure when I bring a player in that he's really ready and physically and mentally ready and performance wise ready for the Premier League level. This is what we are doing with Jean-Matteo.
"I have to say he is a top character, a player with lots of potential, lots of skills.
"Obviously he came with not with the highest confidence and not the highest rhythm and also like not the physical fitness level in order to start games because he hasn't played many games in the starting line-up recently.
"But you can see him growing on the training pitch more less from day-to-day, and for that he edges closer and he was also picked for the match day squads and he has also all chances to be involved if he works further on like this then he comes closer and closer and I like at the moment what I see on the training pitch.
"This doesn't mean that we change straight away more or less our pecking order there because with all the excitement about new signings.
“Also I have to look a bit in a healthy way, what the other players are also doing and it was for example in the last game a difficult decision not to start Harry Wilson for example because he has also done well away at Chelsea, good workload, first assist anyhow.
"Brenden Aaronson scored against Chelsea, he was scored more goals than any other midfielder, and in pre season and his workload is never in doubt.
"So I've also lots of competition this position, but Jean-Matteo and it's a top character and also a very skilful player and he is edging closer."