PROFILE | Louis Leroux already indispensable at Nantes | OneFootball

There aren’t many players who have managed to score a goal on their first Ligue 1 start, but Louis Leroux is one of them, and the 19-year-old is not even a striker. The midfielder found himself at the right place at the right time in hammering home Lens goalkeeper Matty Ryan’s spilt save last February, a testament to his remarkable work rate.

Leroux’s first Ligue 1 start was the conclusion of a process several months in the making, given the Nantes Academy prospect was one of the standout players of the club’s U19 team’s run to the Youth League semi-finals the previous season. In France and across Europe, several scouts had already taken notice of the left-footed player’s well-above-average decision-making and game vision.

Beyond his footballing skills, Leroux has also impressed with his maturity and mentality. “He’s someone who progresses steadily,” Nantes’ U19 head coach Stéphane Moreau told L’Équipe. “It’s easier when you’re comfortable in your own skin and in your own mind. He’s passionate about anything that can help him improve.”

“With the ball, he’s very intelligent despite his young age,” adds Nelson Scout, an expert in the region’s young talent and a writer for Le Télégramme. “He moves quickly from one sequence to the next and always wants to move forward. He is helped above all by his superb left foot and his great vision of the game, which allows him to create many dangerous situations.”

Nantes reject Monaco’s Leroux approach

Leroux had steadily found his place in Antoine Kombouaré’s set-up. His versatility and reading of the game also allowed him to fill in as a left-back. He was thrown in at the deep Vélodrome end against Luis Henrique, and he held his ground against the Brazilian right-winger, who went on to sign for Inter Milan.

Nantes turned down any interest from AS Monaco for their gem, who is under contract until 2028. Under the tutelage of Luís Castro, Leroux started the season as a midfielder, but the Portuguese quickly fielded him as a left-back, given that the Portuguese manager didn’t seem to rate Wolfsburg left-back Nicolas Cozza.

Leroux’s injury and Cozza’s poor performances forced Nantes to dip into the market and sign Deiver Machado from Lens. If the Colombian can restore some stability and offer Leroux a way back into the midfield, where Nantes are in dire need of pace and graft, Les Canaris could very well find their way above the relegation zone.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval