Leicester City have opened up their spending in the January transfer window with the acquisition of Woyo Coulibaly from Parma. With the deal being confirmed, let’s look at the full-back’s career so far.
Leicester City Sign Woyo Coulibaly
Who is Woyo Coulibaly?
The 25-year-old full-back began his career in Ligue 2 for Le Havre before joining Parma. He has now played four seasons for the Italian outfit and played a role in their promotion to Serie last season. In this time, he has made 88 appearances for the club, scoring a goal and providing six assists.
As shown by his total matches played, it seems like the Frenchman hasn’t been a regular starter whilst in Italy or France. This could be a cause for concern given he has only played one season in a top-flight league in his career.
As reported by Gianluca Di Marzio, the deal is done as the full-back is set to leave Parma with just under a year left on his contract.
Playing Style
Coulibaly is a versatile full-back, who can play either side. This is a result of him being both-footed, which could be very important when in possession. Being ambidextrous will open up much more passing angles and aid his side when trying to play through the opposition press.
His pass completion is a strong part of his game as he is in the top 10% for full-backs in his league for the metric as he completes 86.7% of passes.
Ball-carrying is another feature of his game that stands out. He averages 2.99 progressive carries per 90, which is in the top 15% in the league. This could again be influential in helping his side progress the ball and showing the attacking side to his game.
Blocks are also something he excels at as he is in the top five percentile with 1.58 per 90. Therefore, it also shows he is good enough defensively.
How Will Coulibaly Suit Leicester City?
Leicester fans have been crying out for a new full-back this season after Ricardo Pereira’s injury and James Justin’s poor form. It looks as if their dreams are coming true with a versatile option that can play either side and give both Justin and Kristiansen competition.
Another issue for Leicester has been the full-backs. There has been constant mistakes and a lack of performance, which could be prevented with the new arrival. His strong pass completion shows he is assured, and if he starts well it will put pressure on the current options.
A final reason why he could suit his new side is defensively. His high volume of blocks shows he won’t be out of his depth when being in a low-block and facing huge pressure from the Premier League sides. However, his lack of experience against top quality players would be a concern alongside the limited gametime and poor stats in areas like tackling.
