 Lees-Melou playing for Norwich City in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pierre Lees-Melou[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 May 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Langon, France | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Brest | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2003 | Pierre Monsoise | ||
| 2003–2009 | Bordeaux | ||
| 2009–2010 | Langon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2012 | Langon | 2 | (0) |
| 2012 | Mérignac-Arlac | ||
| 2013–2015 | Lège-Cap-Ferret | 50 | (13) |
| 2015–2016 | Dijon B | 7 | (2) |
| 2015–2017 | Dijon | 48 | (9) |
| 2017–2021 | Nice | 119 | (16) |
| 2021–2022 | Norwich City | 33 | (1) |
| 2022– | Brest | 39 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 October 2023 | |||
Pierre Lees-Melou (born 25 May 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Ligue 1 club Brest.
Career
Dijon
Born in Langon, Gironde, Lees-Melou started his career with Lège-Cap-Ferret in the Championnat de France Amateur 2 before sealing a move to Dijon in 2015. He played 16 games (split equally between starts and substitute appearances) as they earned promotion from Ligue 2 in his first season, while also playing in the fifth division with the reserve team. He scored his first two professional goals in April in wins over Clermont and Paris FC, and assisted the opening goal against Ajaccio that earned promotion on the final day.[2]
In the 2016–17 Ligue 1, Lees-Melou scored 7 goals in 32 games as the team survived in 16th place. On 27 August, he came off the bench to score the final goal of a 4–2 comeback win at home to Lyon.[2]
Nice
In June 2017, Lees-Melou signed a four-year deal with Nice, worth around €5 million.[3] He made his debut on 26 July, starting in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, a 1–1 home draw with Ajax.[4] After being eliminated in the play-offs by Napoli, the team competed in the UEFA Europa League, and he played all but one game in a run to the last 32.[2]
In September 2020, having played over 100 games for Nice, Lees-Melou's contract was extended for one year.[5] His four season-stay ended with 140 games and 18 goals.[2]
Norwich City
On 13 July 2021, Lees-Melou signed a three-year deal with Norwich City for a fee of under £6 million, ahead of the team's return to the Premier League.[6] He scored his first goal the following 10 April, opening a 2–0 home win over relegation rivals Burnley; after the game, striker Teemu Pukki said that he would be crucial for the rest of the season.[7]
Brest
On 23 July 2022, Lees-Melou signed for Ligue 1 side Brest on a three-year contract with an option for a further year. Norwich City received a reported €2.3 million transfer fee and a 10% sell-on clause.[8]
Career statistics
- As of 23 July 2022[9]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lège-Cap-Ferret | 2013–14 | CFA 2 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15 | CFA 2 | 26 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 10 | |||
| Total | 50 | 13 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 50 | 13 | ||||
| Dijon B | 2015–16 | CFA 2 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | |||
| Dijon | 2015–16 | Ligue 2 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | |
| 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 7 | ||
| Total | 48 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 52 | 9 | |||
| Nice | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 47 | 5 |
| 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 29 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 33 | 5 | ||
| Total | 119 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 140 | 18 | ||
| Norwich City | 2021–22 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | |
| Brest | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 257 | 41 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 286 | 44 | ||
References
- ↑ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- 1 2 3 4 Freezer, David (13 July 2021). "PROFILE: City new boy went from non-league to Champions League". Pink Un. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ "Mercato. Nice : Pierre Lees-Melou va s'engager 4 ans" [Transfer market. Nice: Pierre Lees-Melou will join for 4 years]. Ouest-France (in French). 15 June 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ "Nice: Lees-Melou et Srarfi titulaires contre l'Ajax" [Nice: Lees-Melou and Srarfi starters against Ajax] (in French). beIN Sports. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ Bacquié, Maxime (18 September 2020). "Pierre Lees-Melou prolonge son contrat avec l'OGC Nice" [Pierre Lees-Melou extends his contract with OGC Nice] (in French). France Bleu. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ Bailey, Michael (13 July 2021). "Norwich sign Nice midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou". The Athletic. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ Mutch, Michael (13 April 2022). "Norwich City duo issue verdict on Pierre Lees-Melou after first goal in Burnley victory". Norfolk Live. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ "Official | Brest sign Pierre Lees-Melou from Norwich". Get French Football News. 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ↑ "P. Lees Melou". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
External links
- Pierre Lees-Melou at FootballDatabase.eu
- Pierre Lees-Melou at foot-national.com
- Pierre Lees-Melou at Soccerway
- Pierre Lees-Melou – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)