Malo Gusto: Analyzing Chelsea's Incoming French Right Back

The Olympique Lyonnais academy is renowned for producing brilliant technical players such as Nabil Fekir, Anthony Martial and the current Ballon d’Or holder, Karim Benzema. Now, it appears as though the French club have struck gold once more with an academy graduate; this time, a right-back by the name of Malo Gusto. The 19-year-old has already emerged as a key part of the setup at Lyon and has begun to attract interest from some of Europe’s heavyweights, most notably Chelsea FC.

With the Blues eager to find an alternative to the increasingly injury-prone Reece James, Chelsea have signed Gusto for €35 million rising to €40 million with add-ons, with the teenager remaining at Lyon until the end of the year before joining Chelsea in the summer on a contract through 2030. But what exactly are the attributes that Malo Gusto possesses that make him such a highly-rated and sought-after prospect at such a young age?

Much like many modern full-backs, Malo Gusto is primarily an attack-minded player. Much of his value is earned from having the ball at his feet and manipulating opposition defences. He’s a fantastic progressive passer of the ball. More often than not, he’s looking ahead for penetrative passes between the lines to unlock opposition blocks.