Exclusive:Jean-Matteo Bahoya 'stardust' verdict as Leeds United new-boy backed to make Bournemouth impact
The speedy French winger is being backed to make an impact when Leeds United head to Bournemouth.
Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth could be the perfect opportunity for Jean-Matteo Bahoya to sprinkle some stardust on the Leeds United attack, according to Jermaine Beckford.
Chances for Bahoya since joining on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt with an option to buy have been extremely limited, with manager Daniel Farke taking a cautious approach. The Frenchman has made two substitute appearances totalling just six minutes with supporters keen to see more of the rapid winger.
That clamour has intensified after a couple of weekends in which those picked ahead of Bahoya have underwhelmed. Leeds have failed to score from open play in three of their last four matches with Harry Wilson and Brenden Aaronson both disappointing during Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland.
“Bahoya is one of those players, we’ve all seen the YouTube highlights and the clips, the best bits,” Beckford exclusively told the YEP via FreeBets, home of the best UK betting sites. “We’ve not seen the other side of it, that’s the part Daniel Farke is privy to every day.
“So he’s obviously trying to fine-tune those areas and elements of his game. I do think Bournemouth might be a good opportunity to see him off the bench because of the way they play.
“They like to play quite aggressively on the front foot. They push their full-backs high and wide. So there might be an opportunity to exploit them in behind if you can time the counter-attack right.”
Farke has taken a similarly patient approach with other players during his Leeds tenure. Last season it took Jaka Bijol until the end of October to make a first Premier League appearance before he became a first-team regular while Wilson’s start at Sunderland last weekend was just his second in the top-flight.
”We want to see the shiny new toys, we want to see the best bits of them,” Beckford added. “The only downside is we don’t know the other side of their game. So it’s just a matter of trying to balance the best bits against the risk of them losing the ball. Then what happens next? Especially against a team like Bournemouth.
“Look, it’s not a big stadium and it’s not a massive fanbase, but it can be quite intimidating because they’re quite on top of you. So I hope we see a little bit of stardust from the kid. I’ve got my fingers crossed.”