If I had the pick of any young RB in the world to come in and deputise / compete with Reece James, it would be Malo Gusto. If you read one of my previous pieces for CFC365, where I detailed 3 RB’s Chelsea should be looking at, you’d see Gusto was my top recommendation.
I disagree with the narrative that we should sign a “backup” to Reece James and the suggestions that we should sign an inferior name to not block him. I was hearing names like Juranovic? Competition breeds success. Chelsea is a club that must be competing on multiple fronts every season. We should be striving for 2 quality players in each position – you only need to look at a club like Manchester City and how well they tend to cope when members of their starting 11 get injured.
Malo Gusto first started out as an attacking midfielder / forward. When he joined Lyon academy, he played in several different positions, including wide midfielder, as an advanced playmaker and right-wing. He eventually settled as a right-back but is equally comfortable as a right-wing-back.
Gusto made his professional debut for Lyon in January 2021 and it’s fair to say he hasn’t looked back since! What impresses me the most about Malo is his overall technical ability and ball mastery for the position he plays in. It’s similar to Reece James in terms of how comfortable and at ease he looks with the ball on either foot. He can drift into central areas and get on the ball, as well as keeping the width down that right-hand side.
In the modern game, it’s becoming increasingly essential to have technicians all over the pitch, especially in defence, as building from the back is where it all begins. Malo Gusto has excellent ball control and is generally a natural with the ball at his feet. The 19-year-old possesses explosive acceleration off the mark and gets up and down the field for 90 minutes. He’s dangerous on the counter too, thanks to his pace, close-control dribbling, and excellent ball-carrying ability. Tenacious in the tackle, he goes 100% all in when dispossessing an opponent, he’ll get the crowd off their feet and boost his teammates in-game. He doesn’t tend to be easy to beat and is also a very active counter-presser. His natural durability and stamina mean he can play at a high intensity throughout the duration of the game – making him extremely valuable offensively and defensively.
Ranking in the 98th percentile for crosses into the penalty area, and the 91st percentile for passes into the penalty area, Gusto loves bursting forward and tends to stretch the pitch on the right-hand side. The Frenchman attacks like a winger. He aims to create separation between himself and the opposing defender before whipping a ball into the box. In addition, his constant overlapping runs will allow players like Madueke / Ziyech to drift inside onto their stronger foot and cause havoc.
A player like Gusto and our right winger will constantly create 2v1 situations against the opposing LB, causing the LCB to drift out wide, which will create space for other Chelsea attackers to burst into – not to mention the potential overloads on the left-hand side and space it’ll create at the back post for someone like Mudryk to attack…
The first time I watched a full 90-minute game of Malo Gusto was in Lyon’s Europa League tie against West Ham. He stood out like a sore thumb and has consequently been on my radar ever since. He was causing havoc down that right-hand side due to his quick feet, agility and balance. He showed a lovely innate ability with the ball at his feet and everything was all in his stride. His delivery from wide areas that game is what stood out to me the most. He crossed with pace and conviction and although they didn’t always lead to clear-cut chances, he was able to beat his man on the outside too often. It’s purely based on this one game that I came to the conclusion that he’d be a smart addition to any top Premier League side.
This is one of the most important signings Chelsea will make in January, due to Reece James’ injury concerns and Azpi’s continued decline. Malo Gusto isn’t coming to just sit and warm the bench, he’s coming to compete! The mere fact he wants to join us when other targets were worried about the competition, should be seen as a testament to Gusto’s mentality.
Chelsea won’t be under sustained pressure every game, and we’ll have a lot of the ball and this is where Malo Gusto will show his undoubted quality. I’d say he’s also very press resistant and just oozes composure and calmness when in possession. There are many stylistic similarities between Reece James and Malo Gusto and if Reece James happens to be injured, there certainly isn’t as much of a drop off in that position now as there once was.
Apart from the attributes aforementioned, they both also possess a positive arrogance to their game. When I was watching the West Ham game, I recall Gusto performing a roulette to navigate his way out of trouble. He’s a crowd pleaser in more ways than one. Malo Gusto will be France’s future #1 right back and I expect him to be a starter for them at the Euros in 2024.
