Analysis on Lesley Ugochukwu – the new defensive midfield demon for Chelsea?

Chelsea have agreed a fee of around £23.5m for Rennes midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, according to multiple reports. Aged only 19 and with only 60 senior appearances under his belt, this move would ordinarily be classed as one for the youth sides, or in Chelsea’s case: For newly acquainted satellite club Strasbourg.

However, with the pursuit of Moises Caicedo progressing at a snail’s pace and a lack of depth in defensive midfield, could Ugochukwu be fast-tracked to the first team? 

Who is Lesley Ugochukwu?

Having joined the Rennes academy at 8-years-old, the Brittany-born Ugochukwu has had the benefit of honing his skills in one of Europe’s most productive talent factories.

Ousmane Dembélé, Eduardo Camavinga, Armand Laurienté, Mathys Tel, and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucouré are just some of the names to leave the club and make a huge name for themselves in the years that Ugochukwu spent turning from a youngster to a starter.

He didn’t have to wait long though: He made his debut for Rennes against Dijon in the 20/21 season shortly after his 17th birthday. In any other league, he’d rank as one of its youngest debutants. Of course, in France, he doesn’t come close to scratching the top 50. 

He may have only played a minute on his debut, but Ugochukwu extended his contract that summer. Florian Maurice, Rennes’ technical director – called Ugochukwu “a very well-educated boy with a great mentality”, adding, “He is eager to learn without being too impatient.”

Lesley Ugochukwu: Nigeria target signs contract extension at Rennes https://t.co/ZSbWb9vVlN pic.twitter.com/GEzKRVmjfF

— GOAL Africa (@GOALAfrica) July 3, 2021

In the two seasons since those comments, Ugochukwu has played a rotational role under Bruno Genesio, making only three league starts in 21/22 but playing over 1300 minutes in the league last season. 

From the start though, he’s stood out on the pitch for his 6ft 3 frame, and he’s rarely moved from the role of defensive midfielder. He’s had some excellent, eye-catching games, and some much, much weaker ones.

The eye-test :

First of all, some wider context.

The past two seasons have seen Rennes finish fourth back-to-back in Ligue 1, playing a blend between a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3. Often, Rennes will line up with a 4-4-2, and use their RW as something like a false-winger, a player who comes inside to join the midfield, while the LW pushes forward to join the front line.

In this context, one of the two central midfielders will act as more of a defensive player and a single pivot in the build-up. This is the role Ugochukwu plays.

It’s worth saying though, despite the points finishes, there are Ligue 1 fans who would argue the club could have punched higher. The talent at the club in Amine Gouiri, Arthur Theate, Jérémy Doku, Lovro Majer, and until January Kamaldeen Sulemana borders on French-21 levels of absurd.

But not everyone has progressed as expected to, certainly some of those names mentioned above. Rennes have also suffered some embarrassing defeats over the past two seasons, and there are some question marks around Genesio’s suitability to the role.

These questions are usually batted away by the big wins Rennes are able to obtain, like their victories home and away over PSG in Ligue 1 last season. Their 1-0 victory, which came in January of this year, was one Ugochukwu starred in. 

Lesley Ugochukwu vs PSG:

• 58 touches
• 41 accurate passes (93.2% accuracy)
• 6 passes into the final third
• 4/6 ground duels won
• 1/1 aerial duels won
• 6 recoveries
• 2 tackles
• 1 clearance pic.twitter.com/yCUMWBvgW7

— b҉ (@lfcxbrn) January 15, 2023

He played the full 90 in a midfield pivot, as Rennes matched PSG by going with a 3-4-3. While still the deepest midfielder, Ugochukwu did make necessary forward movement. While his passing was simple, it helped his side maintain possession in key areas, with his 93% accuracy the best on his team, and his 44 passes the second highest behind center back Theate.

It was an assured performance and only PSG’s second loss of the entire season. The youngster was also in his most prominent spell of the season, as it was his second consecutive full 90 in a run where he missed just one game between the season restart and early February. 

However, spotted around these games have been moments of concern. Earlier in the campaign, he played in Rennes’ 5-0 battering of Auxerre, but he was jeered by his home crowd at a point where he gave the ball away cheaply with a weak forward pass. Rennes could have been punished for an earlier mistake in the game too, where he failed to track the opposition striker as he made a run into the box and should have created a goal Ugochukwu had been jogging.

A lack of awareness can plague his game at times. He was hounded by Paulo Fonseca’s goal-hungry Lille in a 3-1 home defeat later in the season, after he came on as a sub with half an hour to play. He was tackled twice and completed just eight passes and seemed to be a target of the Lille press. 

This is possibly why Genesio started to limit Ugochukwu’s minutes as the campaign went on, with that game against PSG being the last time he played over 80 minutes in a match. With him starting, Rennes lost six games in 14, without him, they lost six in 24. 

What else do the stats say?

Despite some box-to-box tendencies, it’s fair to say Ugochukwu profiles more as a progressive passer than a ball carrier. Even then though, he’s very safe in possession and doesn’t look to risk losing it. 

Get an idea of the player Lesley Ugochukwu is as a Central Midfielder.

Defensively solid whilst assured in possession. Neat and tidy. https://t.co/pUKw0ENPFc pic.twitter.com/WpTe55pyzx

— chunhang 🇲🇾 (@chunhang7) July 29, 2023

For someone who plays quite deep in build-up, he doesn’t rank too high for total passes completed either. That performance against PSG was an outlier, as Ugochukwu on average completes around 38.2 p90 according to FBREF, well in the depths of the squad.

That’s important, as moving to the Premier League will already mean less time on the ball and better-coached presses hunting him down in build-up. He cannot afford to be made a passenger at Chelsea where Pochettino’s side will no doubt look to control possession.

Where he can contribute straight away is out of possession. He wins a huge 69.4% of his aerial duels, which would put him well near the top of Chelsea’s squad for that metric. That’s in a league where he’s still one of the youngest players often on the pitch, and also one which the current Chelsea boss praised for its physicality. 

Ugochukwu is also a decent presser, and productive in tackles and interceptions. Just two players attempted more tackles p90 than him in the Rennes squad last season, while only one made more interceptions p90. He does well in the battle of the midfield and would be helpful for any side at least as a substitute in that regard.

What’s the verdict?

The last Rennes youngster who starred in a game for PSG went on to win the Champions League with Real Madrid. It’s not outrageous to claim that Ugochukwu could reach similar heights.

However, he’s only 19 and in need of regular game time. There’s absolutely no rush for his career, especially as a central midfielder. His prime years are far, far away. Sitting on the bench for a year as backup might not be the most beneficial thing for his career.

On the club’s end, it’s problematic to be heading into a Premier League season with Ugochukwu as your starting DM. He can have his impressive moments, but fundamentally this is still a prospect making mistakes and growing as a footballer.

Yet given how thin Chelsea’s midfield ranks are, Ugochukwu’s presence in the squad may be needed. But that’s not because the Blues need Ugochukwu; they need anyone who can play DM to make sure Pochettino’s squad isn’t dangerously undercooked come the start of the season.

Maybe it’s good to get him in early and let the coach evaluate him. However, if a loan to RC Strasbourg does materialise, don’t be disappointed. Ugochukwu is still very much a prospect, and likely not ready yet.