Marseille left-back Jordan Amavi has compared the qualities of new teammate Pape Gueye to those of French midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante.
The 21-year-old Gueye joined the Olympians as a free agent from Le Harve. He was initially due to join Watford but due to contractual irregularities, he cancelled the deal which paved the way for Marseille to sign him.
Even without kicking a ball, he is already getting rave reviews about his qualities and his likeness to Pogba and Kante, who are on the books of Manchester United and Chelsea, respectively.
The duo of Guinean and Malian descent are World Cup winners with France and have won multiple trophies at club level with Juventus, Manchester United, Leicester City and Chelsea.
“He [Gueye] draws inspiration from Pogba's technique and Kante's recovery,” Amavi told La Provence.
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"He has long legs and many qualities. He has a bit of a very fine style with his long passes and is technically comfortable. He is discreet, but on the field, he goes into the duel.”
Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas revealed the club were on Gueye’s trail for a while and is hoping there will be no legal issues over his purchase as was the case with Watford.
“We have been following him for several months, he was on our list, we thought we had lost him to Watford," Villas-Boas told L’Equipe.
“I leave the legal part to [club President] Jacques-Henri [Eyraud]. We know that things can happen with Watford but we trust our legal department and I hope to have the player all season.
"He has athletic ability, he can play 6 or 8, he has technical qualities for a person his size [1.89m] and he is integrating very well.”
Gueye, upon arriving, equally acknowledged he needs to integrate quickly if he is to be a mainstay in the team.
“I know I will have to work a lot. I am a worker. I chose Marseille because it's a good challenge, with good players. I will learn on a daily basis,” Gueye said on the Marseille website.
“With a coach like Andre Villas-Boas, I can progress a lot in certain areas. I don't have too many fears. I know that I have to progress a lot, integrate as quickly as possible and be good on the field.”
Marseille finished the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season in second place and will be participating in the Champions League for the first time since 2013 next season.
The 2020-21 Ligue 1 season is set to commence on August 23 with Marseille hosting Saint-Etienne at the Stade Velodrome.
