Aymeric Laporte - Scouting Athletic Bilbao's French Defender

Aymeric Laporte is only the second Frenchman to ever play for Athletic Bilbao, at age 19 no less. It is only a matter of time before the central defender is on the radar of some of the bigger fish in Europe.

One of the first names on the team sheet at the age of 19 signifies you’re doing it right. Following the footsteps of his legendary compatriot Bixente Lizarazu, Aymeric Laporte has established himself as a fixture in the starting lineup as a raw teenager, speaking volumes about the player. Representing Les Bleus in each of their youth sides, Laporte hasn’t made the international breakthrough yet but with his form being top notch all season it’s just a matter of when not if. One of the star performers of the Liga, and a strong contender to occupy one of the 2 centre half slots in the team of the season in Spain, Laporte’s rise to stardom has been exponential to say the least and that has naturally drawn the attention of leading clubs across Europe.

Barcelona and recently Arsenal have sent scouts to keep an eye on the Frenchman, with Barcelona earmarking the Frenchman as Puyol’s long term successor and the Catalan management have no doubt the teenager has all the attributes to fill such huge boots. We take a look at his areas of strengths and weaknesses while taking a closer look at his steep career graph.

Tackling

Tackling probably should be the bread and butter for most defenders but that isn’t the case with centre backs choosing to be ball players and contributing more in attack than throw bodies on the line, rule changes have played a part too. Nevertheless Laporte is one of the rarer species who go into the challenge and come out with the ball neatly. Tackling is his strongest asset and despite giving the impression of being reckless at times, his certainty in the tackle multiplies his value to the side. Playing alongside Gurgepi who is more of a tackle-only-when-urgent defender, his skillset comes to the fore even further. 2.3 tackles a game is hardly a poor number and when coupled with a success rate of 71% it just elevates his stock further.

Score: 8.5/10

Passing

Ball playing defenders are gold dust and to be successful at a club like Barcelona in the future, or even Arsenal for that matter, defenders can’t merely be statues in attack and go all gung-ho in defence. The primary requirement is to be able to pass the ball from the back, keep things moving if not be creative per se. Laporte ticks the necessary boxes and prefers keeping it simple without being too adventurous or audacious in attempting to find a teammate. Brimming with confidence he attempts almost 6 long balls a game, which is very impressive. What makes those numbers look even better are his 0.95 shots a game attempted, showing he is willing to contribute in attack. Passing accuracy wise he can still do better than his present 82%.

Score: 8/10

Aerial Duels/Heading

Probably one of Laporte’s weakest suites, the teenage defender often enough struggles in the air. The defensive starlet stands over 6 feet tall but doesn’t make the most of his height when dealing with long balls, losing most of his duels in the air. The first trick of the trade taught to central defenders is to meet the ball at it’s highest point when vying in the air, a skill Laporte has failed to fully develop until now. Scope of improvement is massive and with greater attention to detail, both his judgement and heading of the ball will improve.

Score: 6/10

Interceptions

Modern centre backs need to have the proper mix of aggression and passiveness, being adept at both chasing back and putting in a tackle as well as charging forward and breaking play. That is one of the major reasons why Laporte is rated highly by most managers and scouts alike. Intent reader of the game, Aymeric Laporte observes the play around him and ventures out of defence to thwart an attack before it flourishes. His tackling numbers of 2,3 per game are wonderfully coupled with 2.4 interceptions per game, making him one of those balanced defenders we talked about.

Score: 8/10

Discipline and Concentration

As with most youngsters breaking through at an early age, the early maturity does come with momentary lapses in concentration and with the high intensity levels needed required week in week out, this happens to be the major test for most youngsters. 10 year old Laporte is no exception and despite the maturity shown beyond his years, he often seems to go missing for a 5-10 minute period during some games and that invites immense pressure on Iraizoz’s goal. Even in some of his best performances for Athletic(against Atletico, Celta Vigo and Almeria) an otherwise perfect performance was dotted with silly fouls and a couple of unsure clearances. In fact against Atletico, despite all the huffing and puffing he was all over Diego Costa for the best part of the game despite going into the book early. His confidence that night was impressive and highlighted exactly why despite the few chinks in his armour he looks the real deal.

Score: 8/10

Versatility

Aymeric Laporte broke into the team after Bielsa didn’t have a starting left back, and trusting the then 18 year old Frenchman there, Bielsa couldn’t have been more surprised with the youngster’s confidence and composure playing out of position. Being good on the ball, Laporte fits seamlessly anywhere at the back and can do a job even in defensive midfield and played there for the last 10 minutes against Valladoid after Benat came off.

Score: 8/10

VERDICT: Aymeric Laporte is head and shoulders above other defenders of his age

19 year old is usually when players start to come under the microscope. Not Laporte, he has been under the microscope ever since his ACL tear at the age of 15. There is an infectious confidence yet calm around the Frenchman and that is something that catches the eye the most. The way he neutralized Diego Costa will probably be the highlight of his short career so far and is a good indicator of how far the teenager has come. Barcelona seem the only serious interested party right now but if his performances get Athletic Club into Champions League it won’t be a surprise to see other European powerhouses vulture in. Laporte meanwhile can focus on his education and development. Big things lie ahead for the Frenchman, as the Basque club will find it hard to hold onto him.

Aymeric Laporte – Scouting Athletic Bilbao’s French Defender

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