Fresh Leeds United midfield target named as French international pictured after Sheffield United win
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Leeds United’s search for midfield reinforcements is set to come to a head shortly with the emergence of a fresh name in Joshua Guilavogui.
Elland Road recruitment chiefs have been working on possible free agent signings for the past fortnight, having lost Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev to serious knee injuries earlier this month. Ampadu is not expected back until the New Year while Gruev could be out until May, if his national team manager is to be believed.
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Hide AdA small group of players without a club have been assessed by Leeds, including former Nottingham Forest man Cheikhou Kouyaté, while reports have also named the likes of Francis Coquelin and Christoph Kramer as potential targets. But a fresh name emerged on Friday evening, with LeedsLive reporting on interest Guilavogui.
Thirty-four-year-old Guilavogui has been without a club since leaving Mainz 05 in the summer, having signed a one-year contract with the Bundesliga outfit in 2023. Previous spells at VfL Wolfsburg, Atletico Madrid and Saint-Etienne boast plenty of top-flight experience.
A picture of Guilavogui with a Leeds fan emerged through social media on Friday evening, following a massive 2-0 win at home to Sheffield United. It is unclear exactly where the photo has been taken but interest in the veteran midfielder is genuine, and Farke admitted in his pre-game press conference on Wednesday that ‘guests’ had been at Thorp Arch.
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"I never confirm any names and won't speak about players who aren't under contract," he said. "It would not be professional. I just speak about our players. I can speak in general about the situation. It's a pretty special and unique situation, we had a small group anyway before the injuries to Ethan and Ilia. We've decided to have a deeper look into the free agent market. We had some guests in the last days here at Thorp Arch to have a deeper look on it."
Guilavogui a good fit
Guilavogui fits the bill for what Farke needs in a free agent arrival, with experience playing in defensive midfield and at centre-back. As a right-footer, he can provide much-needed cover for Joe Rodon, who is the only senior option on that side and on four yellow cards - one away from a suspension.
Along with the aforementioned top-flight experience in France, Spain and Germany, Guilavogui has seven caps for France, all of which came between 2013 and 2015. The midfielder only played 11 times for Mainz across all competitions last season, however, with just five starts - none of which came from April onwards.
Fitness levels will be the major question mark over Guilavogui, although that is true for all options due to the likelihood they have been without a club since early summer. But Farke suggested on Wednesday that a decision will be taken before this month is out, whether it be to sign a free agent or continue with the current group.