Umtiti’s rebirth at Lecce: The best player in the club’s history, he was like Baresi, describes a member of the ultras

In previous seasons Samuel Umtiti has been criticized and plagued by injuries, but the change of scenery has meant a complete turnaround. Unlike many, as a big name at a small club, he didn’t fail, rescuing Serie A newcomer Lecce and delivering performances that even a legendary member of the ultras praised him.

The last few seasons have been very difficult for Samuel Umtiti. Since 2016 he has been part of the Barcelona squad, but in which he only had a solid place for the first three years. Since the 2019/20 season, he has been struggling with injuries.

Moreover, Umtiti then refused to leave Barcelona, so he basically did not play between 2019 and 2022. Last summer, however, there was an offer to guest with Serie A side, specifically the southern Italian side Lecce.

“He came to the deep south of Italy and was like a messiah for us. Without him, we could not have saved ourselves,” said Lecce ultras member Pinuccio Milli in an interview with L’Equipe.

Lecce went into the season as a newcomer that was not expected to save much. The most expensive signing of the summer was Daniel Samek for two million euros, but he only went to the youth team.

The club from the south of Italy decided to make a risky move, brought in a lot of players for free and on loan, rebuilt the squad with unwanted players and saved themselves quite comfortably. The main leader was the burly Umtiti.

“He was not only the best stopper I have ever seen in our jersey. He is the best player in Lecce’s history,” a big fan complimented the French defender.

And the numbers speak for Umtiti. Without him in the line-up, Lecce have only won twice in 11 games, conceded 12 goals and kept no clean sheet. With him, in 27 rounds, they have scored 34 goals with six nil.

“The World Cup break was a panacea for him. Since January, Franco Baresi has been his way of commanding the defence and working with the ball,” Milli added.

Lecce locked down its defence, with 46 goals conceded it had the best of the teams in the second half of the table. Now the management is figuring out what to do next as defensive number one Umtiti returns to Barcelona. And the latter will not ask for pennies for him, his contract runs until 2026.

Source: L’Equipe