Who is Leeds United target Josuha Guilavogui? Career to date, statistics and more after Elland Road appearance

Josuha Guilavogui has emerged as a free agent option for Leeds United recently. The 34-year-old, who is a former France international, is available following his exit from Mainz 05 at the end of last season.

His contract with the Bundesliga outfit officially expired in late June and he has since been weighing up his options. The fact he is unattached at the moment means the Whites are able to sign him outside of the transfer window. Leeds are looking at signing a free agent midfielder following injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev. Guilavogui appeared at Elland Road on Friday night as he watched the win over Sheffield United from the stands. Here is a everything you need to know about him....

Where is Leeds United target Guilavogui from?

Leeds-linked Guilavogui was born to Guinean parents in Ollioules in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. The town has a population of 14,011.

Where did he start his career?

The midfielder started his career with spells as a youngster at La Marine Toulon and Toulon. He spent five years with the latter before heading out the exit door as a teenager.

Big break at AS Saint-Étienne

Saint-Étienne landed him in 2005 and he initially played for their B team. The Ligue 1 side are a sleeping giant in France and have won the title on 10 occasions in the past. However, they haven’t had their hands on the trophy since 1981.

Guilavogui broke into their first-team in 2009 under the guidance of Christophe Galtier. He went on to make 108 appearances in all competitions and scored nine goals.

Dream La Liga move

Atletico Madrid swooped for him in 2013 and he penned a long-term five-year contract with the La Liga giants. As per Transfermarkt, they paid the equivalent of £8.4million for his services.

He wasn’t able to make an impact in Spain though and struggled to get into Diego Simeone’s team. He was therefore loaned out to Saint-Étienne and Wolfsburg before he was given the green light to join the latter on a permanent basis.

Finding a home at Wolfsburg

Guilavogui really found his feet in Germany and made the Volkswagen Arena his home. He spent nine years in total there and played 181 matches altogether, finding the net on eight occasions.

The now-veteran also had a brief temporary stint back in France with Bordeaux during the 2021/22 campaign and made 15 outings. They have since dropped into National 2 Group B and have Andy Carroll up front.

Last season

Guilavogui cut ties with Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023. They decided not to extend his stay and he was subsequently snapped up by Mainz.

His previous club finished 13th in the table last term. They turned to former Bristol Rovers player Bo Henriksen earlier this year and he kept them up with ease.

What now?

Leeds are weighing up a potential swoop and the player would give them more competition and depth in the middle of the park. Daniel Farke has a few injury issues in that department wit Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev currently sidelined.

Guilavogui is vastly experienced and could plug a gap for the Whites on a short-term basis. He has never played in England before but has tasted life in the top flight in France, Spain and Germany.