Pierre Lees-Melou

Pierre Lees-Melou (born 25 May 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Norwich City. He previously played in France for US Lège Cap Ferret, Dijon and OGC Nice.

Pierre Lees-Melou
Lees-Melou playing for Norwich City in 2021
Personal information
Full name Pierre Lees-Melou[1]
Date of birth (1993-05-25) 25 May 1993
Place of birth Langon, France
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Norwich City
Number 20
Youth career
2011–2013 Langon FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 US Lège Cap Ferret 50 (13)
2015–2017 Dijon II 7 (2)
2015–2017 Dijon 48 (9)
2017–2021 Nice 119 (20)
2021– Norwich City 28 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 April 2022

Career

Dijon

Born in Langon, Gironde, Lees-Melou started his career with US 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 £4 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]

Career statistics
As of match played 16 April 2022[8]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
US Lège Cap Ferret 2013–14 CFA2 Group F 24300——243
2014–15 CFA2 Group H 261000——2610
Total 50130000005013
Dijon II 2015–16 CFA2 Group E 72———72
Dijon 2015–16 Ligue 2 1621010—182
2016–17 Ligue 1 3271010—347
Total 489202000529
Nice 2017–18 Ligue 1 3450020110475
2018–19 Ligue 1 3020010—312
2019–20 Ligue 1 2652011—296
2020–21 Ligue 1 294002120335
Total 11916206213014018
Norwich City 2021–22 Premier League 271301000311
Career total 25141709213028044

References
  1. "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. Freezer, David (13 July 2021). "PROFILE: City new boy went from non-league to Champions League". Pink Un. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  3. "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.
  4. "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.
  5. 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.
  6. Bailey, Michael (13 July 2021). "Norwich sign Nice midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou". The Athletic. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  7. 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.
  8. "P. Lees Melou". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
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