PROFILE | Pierre Lees-Melou the linchpin of Brest’s success

Having been discarded by Bordeaux in his youth academy days due to his small stature, Pierre Lees-Melou has had to take a long and sinuous road to the top. He bounced between local teams around his native Bordeaux until the age of 21, turning out for the likes of Mérignac and Lège-Cap-Ferret while holding down a job in a primary school. After a 19-goal campaign in the fifth tier with the latter team, and two successful trials, he joined Ligue 2 outfit Dijon at the age of 21.

The Burgundy side would earn promotion that year, and Lees-Melou would make the most of the top-flight stage the following campaign – scoring seven goals and earning a move to Nice. He would become a regular fixture for Les Aiglons over the following four seasons – even captaining the side on several occasions and turning out in the Europa League. Following a season-long stint in the Premier League with Norwich – during which he could not prevent the Canaries from finishing rock bottom – he returned to France in 2022, signing for Brest.

Now, the midfielder is arguably the linchpin of the overperforming Bretons, with Eric Roy’s men finding themselves in the running for a Champions League spot at the turn of the year. Lees-Melou’s versatility is arguably his key asset – he is just as adept playing on the edge of the box as he is in front of the defence.

With Les Ty-Zefs , he is likely to be found in the latter position. “It’s a different role, one in which you are more at the start of the action than at the end of it, but I like it”, he told the official Ligue 1 website. His more conservative positioning has hardly stunted his output in front of goal, though – he finished last season on five goals and five assists in league action.

His sole strike so