'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Clement Lenglet began his career in the reserve team of French club Nancy. His impressive performances earned him promotion to the first team in the 2015-16 season. He quickly made an impact and in his debut season helped the team to win promotion to the first division. His first-team displays attracted attention from Spain and earned him a move to La Liga side Sevilla. An excellent season with Sevilla in 2017-18 earned him a move to Spanish Giants FC Barcelona this summer.
On July 12, Barcelona completed the signing of 23-year-old French center-back Clement Lenglet from Sevilla for 35.9 million euros.
Trending
Strengths
Sevilla are a team who love to build from the back, similar to Barca, which requires defenders to be cool and composed on the ball. Lenglet quickly adjusted to this system and made more than 30 league appearances for the Seville side last season. It is worth to noting, Sevilla had a turbulent 2017-18 campaign as they changed their manager three times. And, in spite of that, the French defender adopted to every new style his team was taught under different managers. He was very consistent and an undisputable starter in the team.
The new Barcelona signing is reliable, calm, and composed at the back. His quick adaptability to unfamiliar instructions is a great asset for the Catalans.
"Lenglet is a champion, both in his head and on the pitch" -- Montella.
On an average, Lenglet has four clearances per game, which is more than his new teammates Pique and Umtiti. He plays short passes and keeps his game simple for the most part. The former Sevilla man also has a passing accuracy of over 84%, which shows his ability to play the ball out from defense.
His best performance of the season came against Manchester United in the Champions League when he was able to lock down the attacking threat for the entire 180 minutes.
Weaknesses
Like all footballers, Lenglet has a few flaws in his game as well. His tackling technique and timing are not efficient. He also needs to work on his positioning on the pitch as he is drawn too easily by opposition forwards, leaving gaps in the defense to be exploited.
However, he is just 23 and has a lot of time to learn and work on these weaknesses.
His place in Barcelona's system
Lenglet is not expected to be a first-choice defender right away, but Valverde will hope that he develops at Barcelona and earn his place in the first team. He is a young player, who has the potential to improve.
Currently, Barcelona lack players on the bench, who can challenge the starting eleven and bring tough competition to players like Umtiti and Pique, and the former Sevilla defender will fix just that.
Barcelona's recent defensive signings have not worked so far, the only exception being Umtiti, who has cemented his position at center-back. Some of those players failed to make an impact and were loaned out while some found it tough to adapt to the Barcelona philosophy. It will be crucial for Lenglet to get acquainted with the team and the style of play as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Right now, it is a difficult statement to make that Lenglet is a steal deal for 35 million euros but he seems to be an excellent addition to the Barcelona defense nonetheless. After all, he is very young and has a promising career ahead.
