Who is Edon Zhegrova? Lille’s Bukayo Saka clone following in Hazard’s footsteps

11 Apr 2024 13:34 BST
6 min read

Edon Zhegrova is one of the driving forces behind Lille’s success in Ligue 1 and the Conference League during 2023/24.

The 25-year-old Kosovo international has been with the French side since signing for €7 million from FC Basel in 2022.

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After initially suffering from problems with regards to his consistency, the winger has started to become more regular, suggesting that he can follow in Eden Hazard’s footsteps to leave Lille for a major club in the not-too-distant future.

What position does Edon Zhegrova play?

Zhegrova typically plays as a right winger. He performs this role in the style of an inside forward, meaning that he likes to cut inside onto his stronger left foot to either shoot at goal or create a goal-scoring opportunity for a teammate.

SciSports compares him to Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka or Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in terms of his style. There are also elements of Manchester City’s Jack Grealish in his game.

How good is Edon Zhegrova?

Zhegrova, known for his love of luxury cars and designer clothes, rates among the best wingers in Ligue 1 and is, crucially, making strides forward with his game. Over the course of the last six months, data analytics firm SciSport reports that he has made “significant development” in his game.

The manner in which the Kosovo international has stepped up is reflected by the fact that local media pinpointed him as Lille’s potential matchwinner against Aston Villa in the Conference League. This is despite the fact that striker Jonathan David typically wins more media acclaim.

“Edon is quite a laidback character, that’s his strength, but as a result we always expect more from him,” Nabil Bentaleb admitted.

STATS

38

Games
6

Goals
6

Assists

His style is always to attack. Zhegrova bases his game on Neymar and Lionel Messi, and while his level is not up there with these two greats, he can break a game with his willingness to take on an opponent.

And he has been doing so regularly in 2023/24, notably netting a double in the derby win over Lens and striking brilliantly against Sturm Graz in the Conference League.

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What clubs are interested in Edon Zhegrova?

There are few teams who have been concretely linked with Zhegrova yet there have been rumours of interest from Germany, where he was born, Spain and Italy.

Last summer, there were rumours that Arsenal were watching him, while AC Milan and Napoli have also been associated him, too.

His asking price is expected to be around the €20m mark.