Enzo Le Fée attracting interest from Premier League clubs
Amid intense interest from some of Europe’s elite, French midfielder Enzo Le Fée recently signed a contract that will keep him at Lorient until 2024. Despite the new contract’s low value (he reportedly will receive just $2,000 per week, which is nearly $20,000 lower than the Ligue 1 average), it has not stopped some big Premier League clubs showing interest in midfielder Enzo Le Fée.
West Ham and Fulham have all scouted Le Fée, and the verdict is overwhelmingly positive. Le Fée isn’t just attracting attention from mid-table Premier League sides. He’s attracted attention from Newcastle, Lazio, Borussia Dortmund, and Real Sociedad.
Why Enzo Le Fée is generating so much interest
Surprisingly, Leicester are leading the race to sign Le Fée going into the summer transfer window. The heads at the King Power Stadium have touted Le Fée as a replacement for Youri Tielemans, which might not be surprising considering their similar physique and playmaking abilities.
It would not be a bad idea to sign Le Fée considering his incredible attributes and small price tag. Valued at around 13 million dollars, he has the ability to burst onto the scene at a very small price. Keep an eye on these sneaky, underrated French midfielder.
Enzo Le Fée was born in Lorient, right in the shadow of the Stade du Moustoir. It’s fitting that he grew up inside the academy, joining Lorient at eight years old. After making his way through Lorient, he made his debut for the senior team in 2020 while Lorient was still in Ligue 2.
After a brief cameo in a relatively underwhelming 2018/19 season, Le Fée played a crucial part in Lorient’s campaign to promotion. Lorient went on to win Ligue 2 as Le Fée notched two assists. As Lorient struggled to stay afloat, finishing 16th two years straight, Le Fée stepped into the limelight. Across two seasons, Le Fée would get eight assists, two goals, and would play a big role in Lorient’s attempts to fend off relegation.
It brings us to Le Fée’s breakout season. With Lorient massively overachieving; they are fifth in the table; Le Fée has garnered continental attention with his breakout season. His stats; two goals and three assists; do not nearly capture his impact on both Lorient and Ligue 1.
He’s one integral piece of a very successful puzzle for Lorient. He links together a team of exciting prodigies like Terem Moffi (10 goals, third in Ligue 1) and Dango Ouattara (5 goals, 4 assists).
How Le Fee plays
Words would not do Enzo Le Fée justice. His defensive prowess and offensive lethality has made him untouchable in the depth chart for Lorient. Lorient, a pretty laid-back team that does not need possession to thrive, can count on Le Fée’s pace on counter-attack and his strength on defense as well. His impressive passing and finishing only makes him one of the best midfielders in France right now.
At first glance, Le Fée invites comparisons to the La Masia breed of midfielders; like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Thiago. Like the Barcelona midfielders, Le Fée is more than happy to take a dribble or two. Yet, unlike the midfielders that played for Barcelona, Le Fée is much more involved defensively.
His play has been molded by Lorient’s conservative playstyle that minimizes risks. But, it’s for the better. Le Fée is dominant defensively and threatening offensively.
Le Fée usually lines up as one of the two attacking midfielders in a 4-1-4-1, or as one of the two defensive midfielders in a 4-2-3-1. Le Fée has lined up as a right-winger at times, and he’s occasionally played as a traditional center midfielder. No matter what formation, Le Fée can still make plays on either side of the ball.
His three assists this season have been flashy but fundamental at the same time. Against Ajaccio, Le Fée played a couple of one-twos to start a big counter-attack that ended with him playing a big through-ball through the defense for the match-winner. Le Fée created Lorient’s sole goal against Nice when he whipped in a great corner. And against French giants PSG, Le Fée played a sneaky through-ball into the box to beat two defenders, culminating in a goal for Les Merlus.
But when Le Fée strikes, his goals are extraordinary. He opened the scoring against Lyon with a banging free-kick, which helped his side win 3-1.
His second goal of the season, against lowly Auxerre, came when Le Fée burst between two defenders before laying the ball off to an unmarked Dango Ouattara. Although the Auxerre keeper saved Ouattara’s shot, Le Fée easily converted the shot to give Lorient a comfy 3-0 lead.
Transfer target
As the winter transfer draws near, Le Fée will hope to attract even more suitors with good performance against mediocre sides Montpellier and Angers. Lorient will want to keep their impressive form as they aim for a Conference League spot and beyond.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Kirchner-Media