'There's music in his left foot' - why Bayern Munich are selling Michael Cuisance to Leeds United, what he will bring and how Marcelo Bielsa is key

“Our opinion is that in the possession game that we play, he can develop further, fulfil his potential and improve and strengthen our team,” continued Bayern’s sporting director.

He was singing the 21-year-old’s praises and handing him a five-year contract so recently that this potential move only really begs one question – why?

Why sell a player considered one of French football’s most promising talents, a player you shelled out €12m to buy a little over a year ago? Suggestions of a buy-back clause in the deal carry more than a hint that Bayern still believe in his promise, but not sufficiently to keep him and play him regularly, right now.

There has been considerable hype and an excited buzz around Cuisance since his Player of the Season-winning debut Bundesliga season for Borussia Mönchengladbach as an 18-year-old.

ESPN’s on the ground Bundesliga reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt has seen talent and creativity from the midfielder, but also a confidence that he can be a player he hasn’t quite become in Germany.

“I think he’s undoubtedly talented but thinks highly of himself and sees himself at a level which he hasn’t quite reached yet,” said Rhind-Tutt.

“I don’t think he’s justified the hype. Gladbach wanted him to stay and bring him on further but Cuisance thought he was ready for the next step and curiously, wanted more game time. So you go to Bayern?

“Unsurprisingly, he’s not got it there. When he has played, he’s looked neat enough but I remember a couple of occasions where he’s tried to do too much and the exasperated look on Thomas Mueller’s face which has followed.

“Overall he brings a lot creatively but is yet to really catch fire.”

Fortunately for Leeds they have a firestarter in Marcelo Bielsa who sets careers alight.

Cuisance would be coming in to vie for a place in a midfield already boasting two players now operating at a level only they might have believed possible.

Mateusz Klich’s time at Elland Road looked all but done and dusted to everyone but him when Leeds loaned him out in January 2018. He even told Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear he would be back to prove them wrong and in Bielsa found a head coach who gave him the perfect role and all the gametime he needed to do so.

Kalvin Phillips was a No 8 until Bielsa plonked him squarely in front of the back four and taught him how to become a Premier League-worthy defensive midfielder.

Phillips thrives in a deep-lying position where he can pick up the ball from his goalkeeper or centre-half and spray it forward. He’s the long arm of Leeds, flicking out jabs from afar to inflict bloody noses on opposition teams.

What Cuisance, another who can operate from deep, could provide Klich with cover, competition or even partnership, as a second No 8 the way Adam Forshaw did before his injury problems took him out of contention.

But, as now seems a prerequisite for players joining Bielsa’s squad, there is versatility to Cuisance’s game and he could play in the six or 10 roles. He is a creator, making chances for his team-mates at a rate of between 1.5 and 1.7 per 90 minutes in the last three seasons and he can take players on successfully, averaging 2.6, 4.0 and 3.6 per 90 since 2017/18.

His heat maps for that period show he gets involved almost everywhere but there is, despite his left-footedness, a tendency to favour the right side in the same way that playmaker Pablo Hernandez leans to that flank.

Cuisance would give Bielsa options. What he would get in return is the treatment both Klich and Phillips have benefitted from so greatly.

Bielsa can make you better, whether that’s by repurposing you or by giving you another side to your game - Ian Poveda recently admitted he’s becoming more complete thanks to the defensive understanding gained since his arrival.

“Players choose their teams rather than the managers they play for,” said Bielsa last week, revealing his previous unsuccessful attempts to sign Rodrigo as evidence.

But in this case the manager would be absolutely key to unlocking the talent this prospect believes he has.

Every transfer is a gamble but Leeds are banking on Bielsa and he’s the safest bet they’ve had for years.