Departing Leeds United man explains exit and makes La Liga comparison with Mel B evidence

Guilavogui arrived as an emergency signing in October 2024 amid an injury crisis for Daniel Farke. The German lost his captain and first choice defensive midfielder Ethan Ampadu to a serious knee injury. A couple of days later he lost Ampadu’s midfield partner and the squad’s only other defensive-minded central player Ilia Gruev, also to a serious knee injury. Though Farke went on record many times to explain why he was no fan of making free agent signings outside of the summer transfer window, he made it clear that if an exceptional case presented itself he would give it consideration. Any player coming in would need to be an experienced leader who could accept a specific role in the supporting cast and not upset the apple cart. Step forward Guilavogui.

READ: Leeds United tracking midfielder and central defender as they make their first summer transfer moves

The Frenchman, with his 330 appearances in the Bundesliga and La Liga and seven international caps to boot, brought more than just experience to the table. He quickly became a ‘big brother’ to the dressing room. Several called him ‘uncle’ and Farke could rely on him to help lead the youngsters in the squad. He was only called upon 16 times in the Championship and spent just 57 minutes of regulation time on the pitch, but his impact was felt keenly by his team-mates and he became a cult hero among fans as Leeds won the title and promotion to the Premier League.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the YEP for this week’s Inside Elland Road newsletter, Guilavogui has explained why, given how special he considers the club and his time at Elland Road, he was so quick to say goodbye.

Asked if there was any part of him that wanted to extend his stay, he replied: “Of course, of course, of course. You know, first of all, because it's an amazing club. I played for Atlético Madrid, but playing for Leeds United is maybe something bigger. I said to my friends 'guys, we know that Leeds is big, but do you know that even Russell Crowe, when we were promoted, he posted something on Twitter? Do you know that Mel B, she was in a TV show in America and she was so happy because Leeds United is going up?' So this is how big it is.

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"In the locker room, I think you could see that I had only little brothers. Everyone at the end called me Uncle Jos. So I was very, very delighted to play for this club. But like I said, I came for a specific situation. We had two injured midfielders and me, I was in Dubai when the coach called me. Thank God I was keeping fit. But I know what I came for, and it was already a victory to be in the squad, because when they did the [recruitment] I was not here. So of course I have one part that would like to stay, but I will say that 80 per cent said 'Josh, you did what you had to do - the job is done.' The mission is done. So now you have to go and look for something else."

In this week’s newsletter Guilavogui reveals what his new dream is after winning a title with Leeds, opens up on his heart-to-heart chats with frustrated Whites players and details the ‘best summer of his life’ so far.