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Who is Castello Lukeba? The next great defensive talent to come out of France
With the summer transfer window now in full swing we continue our weekly look at players in demand.
FootballTransfers puts focus on highly-rated Lyon defender Castello Lukeba, who appears set for a big-money move away from Ligue 1.
Lyon’s famed academy is renowned for its ability to produce and nurture young talent.
Castello Lukeba is one of the most impressive young players to break through in Ligue 1, and looks to be the next in line to make the jump to the elite from Les Gones.
Lukeba is a left-footed centre back, primarily playing on the left side of Lyon’s defence. He is a typical modern centre-back who can combine ball progression with defensive ability, but also displays great maturity on and off the ball for someone so young.
The 20-year-old Frenchman first came onto the radar after putting in several good performances in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 UEFA Youth League.
Opportunities at senior level can be hard to come by for academy graduates, but when they do come, players need to be ready and showcase their ability to deal with the pressure.
Lukeba’s story is very much a case of grabbing that golden chance with both hands and never letting go.
When a series of injuries to first-team players forced coach Peter Bosz to turn to the youth setup, Lukeba was ready and waiting. In the 2020/21 season, he started 23 games and quickly grew into an aggressive defender who would be nominated for the 2021/22 Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award.
Lukeba has since worked on being more disciplined and is now a key part of Lyon’s defence under Laurent Blanc.
Castello Lukeba Transfer Value - how much is he worth?
Our Expected Transfer Value (xTV) model currently values Lukeba at €18.6 million. He is contracted through to 2025, so that figure is likely to be eclipsed at some stage soon. Just look at the realistic comparisons.
Ball-playing defenders are in high demand. A prime example is RB Leipzig and Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol, who is reportedly closing in on a €100million move to Manchester City.
Gvardiol has much more experience playing on the big stage, with appearances in the Champions League and World Cup. Lukeba is already thinking along those lines though and is aiming to represent France at Euro 2024.
"Obviously, I'm thinking of Euro 2024, it's normal, I like to set high goals for myself. But before thinking about this, you have to excel with your club", he said in a recent interview with Lyon Foot.
Lukeba is also open to a big move this summer, and there is no shortage of options with several big clubs amongst his long-term admirers. Recent reports have suggested that RB Leipzig are looking at him to replace Gvardiol, which in itself is high praise for the Lyon native.
The youngster showcases great maturity even off the pitch, insisting that playing time and not money will be the most important factor on which he bases his career decisions.
He seems to understand that getting regular minutes at a higher level in a more progressive system will only accelerate his development trajectory.
Castello Lukeba stats, strengths and weaknesses
Lukeba possesses individual qualities that make him a very promising ball-playing defender. Last season he attempted over 68 passes/90, at an impressive success rate of over 90%.
This is even more commendable when you see that Lukeba doesn't look for the easy pass and always has his head up to try and progress the attack. His five progressive passes/90 are a clear example of this ability.
Delving into his passing, we can see that he especially excels at his short and medium distance passing, but he hasn’t quite mastered the ability to make accurate long passes at a higher volume.
- Data from Fbref comparing centre backs from the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season
Lukeba also offers the ability to progress the ball by carrying it from the back, with 0.72 progressive carries/90 at a carrying distance that puts him in the 87th percentile of all Ligue 1 centre-backs.
The French U21 international rounds off his on-ball quality with a solid defensive game. He is very confident going into a challenge and his great positioning often sees him come out on top.
As is the case for all young defenders, he is sometimes guilty of over-committing into a challenge, but his incredible recovery pace often gets him out of trouble.
Lukeba has played over 4000 Ligue 1 minutes now, and we can already see the progress over the last few seasons.
There are still some weaknesses to his game, but at only 20, he has ample more time to work on honing those skills and become a truly world-class player.