Amid intense interest from Europe’s elite, French midfielder Enzo Le Fée recently signed a contract that will keep him at Lorient until 2024. Despite the low value of the new deal (he will reportedly receive just $2,000 a week, which is nearly $20,000 less than the Ligue 1 average), hasn’t stopped some big Premier League clubs from showing interest in midfielder Enzo Le Fée.
West Ham and Fulham have scouted Le Fée, and the verdict is overwhelmingly positive. Le Fée is not just attracting the attention of mid-table Premier League teams. He has drawn the attention of Newcastle, Lazio, Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad.
Why Enzo Le Fée generates so much interest
Surprisingly, Leicester are leading the race to sign Le Fée ahead of the summer transfer window. The bosses at King Power Stadium have touted Le Fée as a replacement for Youri Tielemans, which might not be surprising considering their similar physique and his playmaking skills.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to sign Le Fée considering his incredible attributes and low price. Valued at around $13 million, it has the ability to break onto the scene for a very small price. Keep an eye out for these clever and underrated French midfielders.
Enzo Le Fée was born in Lorient, right in the shadow of the Stade du Moustoir. It’s fitting that he grew up within the academy, joining Lorient at age eight. Having worked his way up at Lorient, he made his senior debut in 2020 when Lorient were still in Ligue 2.
After a brief cameo appearance in a relatively disappointing 2018/19 season, Le Fée played a crucial role in Lorient’s promotion campaign. Lorient won Ligue 2 when Le Fée scored two assists. As Lorient struggled to stay afloat, finishing 16th two years in a row, Le Fée moved into the spotlight. In two seasons, Le Fée would pick up eight assists, two goals and play a significant role in Lorient’s attempts to avoid relegation.
It takes us to the great season of Le Fée. With Lorient outperforming massively; they are fifth in the table; Le Fée has earned continental attention with his great season. Your stats; two goals and three assists; they don’t capture his impact in both Lorient and Ligue 1.
It is an integral piece of a very successful puzzle for Lorient. He assembles 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 his offensive lethality have made him untouchable on Lorient’s depth chart. A fairly laid-back team that doesn’t need possession to prosper, Lorient can count on Le Fée’s pace on the counter-attack and his strength in defence, too. His impressive passing and finishing make him one of the best midfielders in France right now.
At first glance, Le Fée invites comparisons with La Masia’s breed of midfielder; like Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Thiago. Like Barcelona’s midfielders, Le Fée is more than happy to dribble or two. Unlike the midfielders who played for Barcelona, however, Le Fée is much more involved in defense.
His game has been shaped by Lorient’s conservative style of play that minimizes risks. But, it’s for the better. Le Fée is dominant defensively and threatening offensively.
Le Fée is usually lined up as one of two attacking midfielders in a 4-1-4-1, or as one of two defensive midfielders in a 4-2-3-1. Le Fée has lined up as a right winger on occasion, and has occasionally played as a traditional central midfielder. No matter which formation, Le Fée can still make plays on either side of the ball.
His three assists this season have been eye-catching but fundamental at the same time. Against Ajaccio, Le Fée played a pair of doubles to start a great counter-attack that ended with a great through ball through the defense for the winner. Le Fée created Lorient’s only goal against Nice when he took a great corner. And against French giants PSG, Le Fée played a sneak pass into the box to beat two defenders, culminating in a goal for Les Merlus.
But when Le Fée attacks, his goals are extraordinary. He opened the scoring against Lyon with a forceful free-kick, which helped his team win 3-1.
His second goal of the season, against the underdog Auxerre, came when Le Fée burst between two defenders before flicking the ball past an unmarked Dango Ouattara. Although Ouattara’s shot was parried by the Auxerre goalkeeper, Le Fée easily converted the shot to give Lorient a comfortable 3–0 lead.
transfer destination
As the winter transfer approaches, Le Fée will be hoping to attract even more suitors with a strong performance against lackluster Montpellier and Angers. Lorient will want to maintain their impressive form as they aim for a place in the Conference League and beyond.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Kirchner-Media
