Anthony Knockaert could have been lining up for the away side at the Amex tomorrow.
But the unsung talent scout who discovered him as a teenager – and thought he had lost him to Elland Road – is thrilled to see Albion’s little right winger back in the type of football which suits him best.
Christophe Demougeot watches countless games in the north of France.*He trawls the lower league clubs and youth football for gems.
He spotted Knockaert not long after he was rejected as a schoolboy by Lens - and*suddenly took a very close interest in amateur club US Lesquin when*the youngster*arrived after a brief foray across the border into Belgium.
Demougeot eventually took him to Guingamp, from where Knockaert was spotted by Steve Walsh’s much-praised recruitment team at Leicester City.
Now he is back in this country with the Seagulls – and still with a burning motivation born as a teenager.
“Anthony always had the quality he has now,” Demougeot, pictured below, told The Argus. “He gives everything on the pitch and is mentally very strong.
“He is not big now but when he was young he was very small and lots of French clubs wouldn’t take him or look at him because of his size.
“That has turned out to be his strength because he has had to have that determination to prove he can be a professional.
“He was at Lens as a kid and, when he was supposed to go into the academy, he wasn’t offered a contract because they told him he was too small. I saw him play in the national under-19 league for Lesquin.
“He was only 17 but he played in the first team in the fourth tier. I saw him about 15 times.
“He was on trial at Leeds. That didn’t go so well. He preferred to return to France. We took him on trial in July, signed him in December and we allowed him to finish his season at Lesquin before joining us at Guingamp in the summer of 2009.”
Some reports suggest Leeds backed out of a deal for Knockaert when Lens demanded compensation for his early coaching. Others believe he did not enjoy the trial. It's possible both are true.
Either way Demougeot, who now works for Lille, was delighted to tip off Guingamp head of recruitment Xavier Gravelaine, the former Caen and Watford striker.
But he admitted: “I thought we had lost him to Leeds because I had already been following him for a while. I was on to him as soon as he arrived at Lesquin.”
Lesquin boss Pascal Camier recalls “a young forward obsessed by goals, very dynamic, very explosive with an above-average capacity to beat players.”
But, after securing fourth-tier survival in front of crowds of less than 200, Knockaert moved on.
“We were tipped off about him by Christophe,” says Eric Blahic, pictured above, the assistant manager at Guingamp who spent a lot of time with the young Knockaert.
Article continues after...[h=3]More Articles[/h]
“To be honest, we expected an awful lot of him and the coach Jocelyn Gourvennec put him in a position just behind the frontman. He was very good for us there.
“He had a superb season in National (the French third tier), scoring goals, then in Ligue 2 he was very good too. I remember Leicester coming to watch him a few times.
“The French club who made the most effort to get him were Montpellier.*Rene Girard (the former Bordeaux and France midfielder) was their boss at the time but he chose Leicester.
“I think he wanted to discover new things. There was also the financial aspect which was an important factor.”
Blahic uses a classic French expression to say that Knockaert “wets the shirt” when he plays. It’s not one that translates well - but it is a big compliment.*It means he*soaks the shirt with sweat.*That work ethic stretched to attending extra coaching in the afternoons.
Those special sessions were a forte of Blahic’s, developed at previous clubs Sochaux and Paris St-Germain. Gianella Imbula, the player recently signed by Stoke City from FC Porto in a record deal, was also part of the ‘after school club’ at Guingamp.
“It was one or two days per week, purely working on technique.” Blahic said. “I think it helped him mature.*Sometimes you want him to be a bit more calm and a bit more assured in front of goal.
“I think he can improve his finishing. But he has talent and he works hard.”
Albion fans have already seen that.
The President's man...
Anthony Knockaert has an admirer in a very high place – the top job at the French Football Federation.
FFF president Noel Le Graet held the same post at Guingamp when Knockaert was there.
“He had a soft spot for Anthony,” recalled Guingamp coach Eric Blahic. “He liked this side he had which was not naughty but cheeky – maybe in English you’d say ‘borderline’, he was on the limit. He was very kind but very cheeky at the same time.”
Original article
But the unsung talent scout who discovered him as a teenager – and thought he had lost him to Elland Road – is thrilled to see Albion’s little right winger back in the type of football which suits him best.
Christophe Demougeot watches countless games in the north of France.*He trawls the lower league clubs and youth football for gems.
He spotted Knockaert not long after he was rejected as a schoolboy by Lens - and*suddenly took a very close interest in amateur club US Lesquin when*the youngster*arrived after a brief foray across the border into Belgium.
Demougeot eventually took him to Guingamp, from where Knockaert was spotted by Steve Walsh’s much-praised recruitment team at Leicester City.
Now he is back in this country with the Seagulls – and still with a burning motivation born as a teenager.
“Anthony always had the quality he has now,” Demougeot, pictured below, told The Argus. “He gives everything on the pitch and is mentally very strong.
“He is not big now but when he was young he was very small and lots of French clubs wouldn’t take him or look at him because of his size.
“That has turned out to be his strength because he has had to have that determination to prove he can be a professional.
“He was at Lens as a kid and, when he was supposed to go into the academy, he wasn’t offered a contract because they told him he was too small. I saw him play in the national under-19 league for Lesquin.
“He was only 17 but he played in the first team in the fourth tier. I saw him about 15 times.
“He was on trial at Leeds. That didn’t go so well. He preferred to return to France. We took him on trial in July, signed him in December and we allowed him to finish his season at Lesquin before joining us at Guingamp in the summer of 2009.”
Some reports suggest Leeds backed out of a deal for Knockaert when Lens demanded compensation for his early coaching. Others believe he did not enjoy the trial. It's possible both are true.
Either way Demougeot, who now works for Lille, was delighted to tip off Guingamp head of recruitment Xavier Gravelaine, the former Caen and Watford striker.
But he admitted: “I thought we had lost him to Leeds because I had already been following him for a while. I was on to him as soon as he arrived at Lesquin.”
Lesquin boss Pascal Camier recalls “a young forward obsessed by goals, very dynamic, very explosive with an above-average capacity to beat players.”
But, after securing fourth-tier survival in front of crowds of less than 200, Knockaert moved on.
“We were tipped off about him by Christophe,” says Eric Blahic, pictured above, the assistant manager at Guingamp who spent a lot of time with the young Knockaert.
Article continues after...[h=3]More Articles[/h]
-
[h=5]Albion boss hollers for Holla[/h]
-
[h=5]Albion urge fans to come and enjoy some FA Cup action[/h]
-
[h=5]Albion and Leeds on opposite sides of the pitch and the TV debate[/h]
-
[h=5]Big interview: New adventure has been an eye-opener for ex-Albion ace Orlandi[/h]
-
[h=5]Rosenior thanks the staff who got him back early[/h]
- Albion boss hollers for Holla
- Inside story: How I discovered Anthony Knockaert - and thought I'd lost him to Leeds
- Albion urge fans to come and enjoy some FA Cup action
- Albion and Leeds on opposite sides of the pitch and the TV debate
- Big interview: New adventure has been an eye-opener for ex-Albion ace Orlandi
“To be honest, we expected an awful lot of him and the coach Jocelyn Gourvennec put him in a position just behind the frontman. He was very good for us there.
“He had a superb season in National (the French third tier), scoring goals, then in Ligue 2 he was very good too. I remember Leicester coming to watch him a few times.
“The French club who made the most effort to get him were Montpellier.*Rene Girard (the former Bordeaux and France midfielder) was their boss at the time but he chose Leicester.
“I think he wanted to discover new things. There was also the financial aspect which was an important factor.”
Blahic uses a classic French expression to say that Knockaert “wets the shirt” when he plays. It’s not one that translates well - but it is a big compliment.*It means he*soaks the shirt with sweat.*That work ethic stretched to attending extra coaching in the afternoons.
Those special sessions were a forte of Blahic’s, developed at previous clubs Sochaux and Paris St-Germain. Gianella Imbula, the player recently signed by Stoke City from FC Porto in a record deal, was also part of the ‘after school club’ at Guingamp.
“It was one or two days per week, purely working on technique.” Blahic said. “I think it helped him mature.*Sometimes you want him to be a bit more calm and a bit more assured in front of goal.
“I think he can improve his finishing. But he has talent and he works hard.”
Albion fans have already seen that.
The President's man...
Anthony Knockaert has an admirer in a very high place – the top job at the French Football Federation.
FFF president Noel Le Graet held the same post at Guingamp when Knockaert was there.
“He had a soft spot for Anthony,” recalled Guingamp coach Eric Blahic. “He liked this side he had which was not naughty but cheeky – maybe in English you’d say ‘borderline’, he was on the limit. He was very kind but very cheeky at the same time.”
Original article