Ex-Chelsea goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon has revealed that he wanted to bring Illan Meslier to Stamford Bridge prior to him joining Leeds United.
Meslier, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea in the past, arrived at Leeds on a season-long loan ahead of the 2019-20 season, after registering nine clean sheets in 28 appearances for FC Lorient in the French second-tier.
He initially acted as back-up to first-choice goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, before keeping seven clean sheets in his last 10 games to help propel Leeds to the Championship title.
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The Frenchman joined Leeds on a permanent deal in 2020 and is now close to reaching 100 Premier League appearances for the Whites. Lollichon has tipped Meslier to become France's number one in the future, and has recalled the moment he came across the Leeds shot-stopper during his days at Lorient B.
"Illan Meslier. It’s been almost three years since he started in the Premier League. He’s not far from being [the] future number 1 with the Les Bleus [France], he has so many qualities," Lollichon revealed in an interview with After Foot.
“I discovered this kid with Regis Le Bris, when he was reserve goalkeeper at Lorient. I followed him for two years, I wanted to bring him to Chelsea.
"The first game that I saw Illan was with the reserve in N2 and I saw a central defender in front of me. I took a step to see him play. Illan loves this style of play.
"Illan met my height criteria because he was 1.96m tall, plus he has an amazing left foot, wingspan, very good in one-on-ones and very good in aerial play."
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