As you may have noticed, English clubs love a good prospect from France.
Ever since Arsène Wenger paved the way by showing the Premier League how much talent was available across the Channel, clubs have followed suit, trying to snatch players at a young age for their youth teams in order to develop them and get them ready for first-team football down the line.
It doesn’t always work, with some failing to make the grade, but it’s a good and relatively cheap way of bolstering academies, as Leicester City become the latest to dip their toes in that market.
You might have seen over the weekend that a few reports appeared about the Foxes being in talks to sign Thanawat Suengchitthawon from AS Nancy-Lorraine in Ligue 1.
There has yet to be an official announcement from either side for the move, but the player’s agent, Erick Noubissie, confirmed the move on Tuesday in an interview with Eurosport.
Speaking about the talent pool in France, the representative quickly discussed his client’s situation.
He said: “We have one of the biggest pools in the world. It’s an advantage that can become an inconvenience. Now, French clubs have the luxury of being able to choose and put to one side quality youngsters. Therefore, they are less and less conscious of what they could lose. You make very talented players wait by thinking ‘if it isn’t him, it’ll be another’.
“In the end, you realise the luck you had once the player is gone, has become a starter in a great club or in a first-team. I can give you a concrete example: my player, Thanawat Suengchitthawon, is going to Leicester City for three years, but Nancy never offered him a professional contract.”
The 20-year-old, who has represented France’s U17s in the past, will be a free agent at the end of the month, and it seems the Foxes have pounced at the right time.
