FROM being the darling of Europe to being an outcast at the club second from bottom in Ligue 1 and being loaned out to Leicester, the last 18 months have really been a rollercoaster for Youri Tielemans.
Back in the summer of 2017, after an exceptional season at Anderlecht, the young Belgian wonderkid was wanted by Europe’s biggest clubs. Since his debut for Les Mauves’ first team at 16, they had scouted him week in, week out. Everyone believed he was ready for the big move – Monaco had always been keen. Tielemans fitted perfectly into their business model costing €25m.
Tielemans was supposed to showcase his talents in Ligue 1 and the Champions League, with Leonardo Jardim developing him into a much better, all-round midfielder. Monaco would then sell him for two or three times the price they paid for him in the first place. That was the plan.
The player himself liked the idea. Monaco was the perfect platform for bigger things and yet, it was still an intermediary step towards bigger clubs. That was the plan, however nothing went according to this for Tielemans and for Monaco.
#lcfc have tonight agreed a deal with Monaco for Youri Tielemans. Loan swap, with Adrien Silva going to Monaco. Players expected for medicals on Wednesday
— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) January 29, 2019
The Belgian midfielder never got to the level expected of him. At the start of last season, he struggled to perform. At Anderlecht, he was the boss in midfield, the one who used to control the pace of the games. But the French champions already had a player like that in Joao Moutinho.
The Portuguese international was Jardim’s lieutenant on the pitch and his young teammate never found his place in the team. He had good games in his first season where you could see the huge potential. His vision, his quality on the ball, his long range passes. He clearly had something but he never got onto the next level.
In the Champions League, he looked out of his depth like the whole team. In the league, they finished second but were never that convincing. The fact that Tielemans didn’t score a single goal in 27 Ligue 1 matches in that campaign shows his struggles. He was only 20 at the time though and you could easily put his difficulties down to being away for the first time and being out of his comfort zone.
His second season should have been better, right? It was going to be an improvement. Tielemans is older, he learned a lot from his first full season at the club, he gained a lot of precious Champions League experience, he went to the World Cup with Belgium and Moutinho left Monaco as well. Happy days!
Youri Tielemans (21) in Ligue 1 this season:
45/68 tackles
31 fouls won
19 key passes
18/35 dribbles
5 goals
1 assistIt's been a turbulent 18 months at Monaco. Next stop: Premier League. pic.twitter.com/hcrmwocnsP
— Scouted Football (@ScoutedFtbl) January 30, 2019
Except that, again, nothing went according to plans in the first half of this season. Tielemans played a lot, scored five goals, gave a few assists and was even given the captain’s armband by Thierry Henry. He had responsibilities and, again, he showed leadership and put on good displays at times. But not often enough. He was not consistent enough.
Monaco struggled as a whole and it was hard for any individual to stand out from the crowd. Now that Leonardo Jardim is back at the helm of the team, he made it clear that Tielemans was not part of his plans. It is a shame but there are still a lot of clubs queuing for him. They might not be as prestigious as the ones who were there 18 months ago but the former Anderlecht star is still very much highly rated.
Tielemans is a great kid, down to earth but ambitious. Despite his struggles, he has never sulked or complained. He tried his best and has certainly become stronger mentally. Monaco are recognising that it was always a tough environment for such a young player, however good he was.
He still needs some guidance to fulfil all his potential. He needs senior players around him as he is not ready to lead a team by himself. Tielemans has been on the scene for so long that it is easy to forget that he is still only 21 years old.
He has all his career in front of him and the future is bright, despite things not really working out in France. He will be better armed to be a success in his next adventure. Monaco has been a learning curve for Youri Tielemans. Now, he is ready for something new and start again.
