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Eden De Bruyne

Timothy Castagne

By Eden De Bruyne, in Transfer Talk

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Max Power

Max Power

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From dominating the physical testing at Genk to studying the crossing ability of Steven Gerrard, it seems Timothy Castagne was tailor-made to play in the Premier League.

Leicester are set to announce the signing of the 24-year-old Belgium international after the Nations League fixtures this week and Castagne will link up with his new team-mates ahead of the season opener at West Bromwich Albion.

Castagne has already passed his medical and Leicester have agreed an £18 million deal, which could rise to £21.5 million with add-ons and bonuses.

Brendan Rodgers has been chasing Castagne for more than a year, while the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain had all expressed an interest in the player.

Leicester made an inquiry last summer but were put off by Atalanta’s asking price given Castagne had two years left on his contract. Castagne was also uncertain it was the right time as he knew he would likely have been back-up to both Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira. Castagne was not interested in being a back-up defender at a club like PSG and felt the timing was better to join Leicester after Chilwell’s £50 million move to Chelsea.

He can play at left-back and left wing-back, and has provided cover in that position for both Atalanta and Belgium, although he is predominantly right-footed. Castagne is most effective in a back three, a system Rodgers favoured towards the end of last season when he was without three of his regular back four.

Castagne was born in Arlon and raised in Chatillon, a village with a population of just 1,000 in the province of Luxembourg. He began playing for Royal Excelsior Virton and spent a year at Standard Liege before he was picked up by Genk’s prolific academy.

Dimitri de Conde, who is technical director at Genk, was Castagne’s manager when he first joined the club in 2013 and instantly made him captain of his under-17 side at the age of 16. De Conde remembers a shy French-speaking teenager who blossomed when he stepped onto the pitch.

 
 
Castagne (right) in action against Gent in July 2015. (Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

“He was a little shy but the one thing I remember was when we did the physical tests he exploded,” De Conde tells The Athletic. “He had the best results at Genk, which had never happened.

“We were surprised he was so strong and that was his major quality. I made him captain in his first year because he was dominant, not just on the pitch but around the training ground. He has a fantastic character.”

Castagne was initially used as a defensive midfielder but his work rate and prolific stamina made him perfect for an attacking full-back role, and his ability with both feet meant he was versatile enough to switch flanks.

“His physical skills showed us that one day he would play on the flanks because he is physically dominant,” says De Conde. “It wasn’t easy for him at first because he didn’t speak much Flemish and I spoke with him in French but he adapted quite easily, not by speaking but by showing his character in training sessions. When he got kicked he always kept on going. That is when we realised he was an exceptional talent.”

When the first team were short of a right-back, De Conde suggested to then Genk manager Alex McLeish to blood Castagne in the first team against Bruges in September 2014. He was only 17. Castagne would go onto be a team-mate of Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi in the Genk first team until 2017.

“I remember that game well,” McLeish tells The Athletic. “I had all my family over. He did well on debut. In fact, I remember he made an incredible tackle. He had lost the ball on the edge of the box and the guy would have been in one-on-one, but somehow Timothy wrapped his leg around for a superb clean tackle to save the day (the game was a 1-1 draw).

“We didn’t have any money to make signings so my assistant, Alex Rae, and I would spend a lot of time watching the youngsters in the reserves and the academy, and Timothy stood out a mile.

“It was a transitional period at the club so we did blood the youngsters and we eventually put Ndidi in too. Timothy was an outstanding young athlete and a great learner. Once I put him in he was never out of the team.”

Castagne would go onto make 28 appearances in the first team that season under McLeish and the former Scotland international has fond memories of working with him.

“He is not one of the big voices in the dressing room and a Jack the Lad,” McLeish says. “He is a superb professional. He is quiet, a good listener and he takes things in. We did a lot of one-to-one sessions with him and the young boys. We got a lot out of him during that year.

“We worked on his use of the ball from outside the box and we watched loads of Steven Gerrard videos, how he could clip the ball over the centre-backs and between the keeper for a player running in behind. We wanted him to think about it more instead of just a cross into the box. He worked on measured passes and we had the time to do that with him.”

In 2017 Atalanta paid around £6 million for Castagne and he has been used on both the right flank and the left, predominantly as a wing-back. But he has struggled to hold down a regular starting spot and last season was used mainly as back-up for Hans Hateboer on the right and Robin Gosens at left wing-back. Gosens is also on Leicester’s radar but Atalanta are asking for a fee close to £40 million.

“His (Castagne’s) strongest side is the right but he has played a lot on the left at Atalanta in a back five,” adds McLeish. “I have followed his progress and he is versatile.

“I can’t speak for him in the left role — if that is what Brendan has in mind — because I only played him on the right, but I have seen him on the left at Atalanta and he has done well against top Italian sides, and in Europe in the Champions League.

“If Brendan is going to play him down the left he is more than capable. He has a phenomenal engine and is a very dedicated guy. He won’t cause Brendan an ounce of trouble either. He will be popular in the dressing room because he is easy going. Leicester have a gem of a player there.”

McLeish has remained in touch with Castagne and met him two years ago when he was manager of Scotland and faced Belgium at Hampden Park. Castagne featured in a 4-0 victory for Roberto Martinez’s men.

 
 
Castagne closes in on Craig Gordon during Belgium’s friendly against Scotland in September 2018 (Photo: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)

“I spoke to him in the tunnel before the game,” McLeish recalls. “We embraced and I told him how proud I was of him and to have worked with him. He is very humble and mentioned all those extra training sessions we had. Leicester have got a good one there.”

De Conde is also convinced Castagne is the perfect fit for Leicester, where he will team up again with Ndidi and join Belgium team-mates Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet in the Premier League at the King Power Stadium.

“I have no concerns about him adapting to England,” he says. “I think he is also the future of the Belgian national team at right-back, for sure.

“In England, the biggest thing to adapt to is the pace of the game, the intensity, but that is his quality so he will easily adapt.

“He has such a huge focus on what he is doing. He was coming in for training and not looking to the people around him, he was just focused on what he was doing himself. That is why he has a great personality.

“Coming from a small team in Belgium and then going to Genk, and then on to Italy, it has not been easy. Everyone was asking why he was going to Atalanta where the game is very different to Belgium but he adapted very well because he is focused on himself and on what he needs to do, and what the coach wants him to do.

“He is not affected by the media or what people will say around him. He is focused on his job and that is what makes him a very good player.

“It is very positive for our club. It is what we stand for at Genk. We develop young talent and they go abroad and have good careers, but I am not just proud of Timothy going to the Premier League. At Genk we are not proud that we can bring them to this level, we are only proud that they succeed at this level and I am convinced he will not only go to Leicester but he will play an important role for the club.

“I know he is ready.”


 

Looks like a good personality 

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hackneyfox

hackneyfox

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Posted

Hey Danny, is that your date of birth?

If so could you please add your Mother's maiden name.

 

There's no reason why they need to have a video available for when he's announced, they could announce the minute he signs and do the social media bollocks at a later date. 

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jeffschlupp

jeffschlupp

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25 minutes ago, hackneyfox said:

There's no reason why they need to have a video available for when he's announced, they could announce the minute he signs and do the social media bollocks at a later date. 

It takes the interest away from an eventual big announcement though. LCFC only make short statements without the full video/shirt holding business when they are waiting for international clearance (Kramaric, Silva, Söyüncü).

 

You wait til Wednesday, you can have a fancy video, training photos, Rodgers bigs him up in Thursday's press conference etc. 

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dmayne7

dmayne7

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5 hours ago, Max Power said:

From dominating the physical testing at Genk to studying the crossing ability of Steven Gerrard, it seems Timothy Castagne was tailor-made to play in the Premier League.

Leicester are set to announce the signing of the 24-year-old Belgium international after the Nations League fixtures this week and Castagne will link up with his new team-mates ahead of the season opener at West Bromwich Albion.

Castagne has already passed his medical and Leicester have agreed an £18 million deal, which could rise to £21.5 million with add-ons and bonuses.

Brendan Rodgers has been chasing Castagne for more than a year, while the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain had all expressed an interest in the player.

Leicester made an inquiry last summer but were put off by Atalanta’s asking price given Castagne had two years left on his contract. Castagne was also uncertain it was the right time as he knew he would likely have been back-up to both Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira. Castagne was not interested in being a back-up defender at a club like PSG and felt the timing was better to join Leicester after Chilwell’s £50 million move to Chelsea.

He can play at left-back and left wing-back, and has provided cover in that position for both Atalanta and Belgium, although he is predominantly right-footed. Castagne is most effective in a back three, a system Rodgers favoured towards the end of last season when he was without three of his regular back four.

Castagne was born in Arlon and raised in Chatillon, a village with a population of just 1,000 in the province of Luxembourg. He began playing for Royal Excelsior Virton and spent a year at Standard Liege before he was picked up by Genk’s prolific academy.

Dimitri de Conde, who is technical director at Genk, was Castagne’s manager when he first joined the club in 2013 and instantly made him captain of his under-17 side at the age of 16. De Conde remembers a shy French-speaking teenager who blossomed when he stepped onto the pitch.

 
 
Castagne (right) in action against Gent in July 2015. (Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

“He was a little shy but the one thing I remember was when we did the physical tests he exploded,” De Conde tells The Athletic. “He had the best results at Genk, which had never happened.

“We were surprised he was so strong and that was his major quality. I made him captain in his first year because he was dominant, not just on the pitch but around the training ground. He has a fantastic character.”

Castagne was initially used as a defensive midfielder but his work rate and prolific stamina made him perfect for an attacking full-back role, and his ability with both feet meant he was versatile enough to switch flanks.

“His physical skills showed us that one day he would play on the flanks because he is physically dominant,” says De Conde. “It wasn’t easy for him at first because he didn’t speak much Flemish and I spoke with him in French but he adapted quite easily, not by speaking but by showing his character in training sessions. When he got kicked he always kept on going. That is when we realised he was an exceptional talent.”

When the first team were short of a right-back, De Conde suggested to then Genk manager Alex McLeish to blood Castagne in the first team against Bruges in September 2014. He was only 17. Castagne would go onto be a team-mate of Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi in the Genk first team until 2017.

“I remember that game well,” McLeish tells The Athletic. “I had all my family over. He did well on debut. In fact, I remember he made an incredible tackle. He had lost the ball on the edge of the box and the guy would have been in one-on-one, but somehow Timothy wrapped his leg around for a superb clean tackle to save the day (the game was a 1-1 draw).

“We didn’t have any money to make signings so my assistant, Alex Rae, and I would spend a lot of time watching the youngsters in the reserves and the academy, and Timothy stood out a mile.

“It was a transitional period at the club so we did blood the youngsters and we eventually put Ndidi in too. Timothy was an outstanding young athlete and a great learner. Once I put him in he was never out of the team.”

Castagne would go onto make 28 appearances in the first team that season under McLeish and the former Scotland international has fond memories of working with him.

“He is not one of the big voices in the dressing room and a Jack the Lad,” McLeish says. “He is a superb professional. He is quiet, a good listener and he takes things in. We did a lot of one-to-one sessions with him and the young boys. We got a lot out of him during that year.

“We worked on his use of the ball from outside the box and we watched loads of Steven Gerrard videos, how he could clip the ball over the centre-backs and between the keeper for a player running in behind. We wanted him to think about it more instead of just a cross into the box. He worked on measured passes and we had the time to do that with him.”

In 2017 Atalanta paid around £6 million for Castagne and he has been used on both the right flank and the left, predominantly as a wing-back. But he has struggled to hold down a regular starting spot and last season was used mainly as back-up for Hans Hateboer on the right and Robin Gosens at left wing-back. Gosens is also on Leicester’s radar but Atalanta are asking for a fee close to £40 million.

“His (Castagne’s) strongest side is the right but he has played a lot on the left at Atalanta in a back five,” adds McLeish. “I have followed his progress and he is versatile.

“I can’t speak for him in the left role — if that is what Brendan has in mind — because I only played him on the right, but I have seen him on the left at Atalanta and he has done well against top Italian sides, and in Europe in the Champions League.

“If Brendan is going to play him down the left he is more than capable. He has a phenomenal engine and is a very dedicated guy. He won’t cause Brendan an ounce of trouble either. He will be popular in the dressing room because he is easy going. Leicester have a gem of a player there.”

McLeish has remained in touch with Castagne and met him two years ago when he was manager of Scotland and faced Belgium at Hampden Park. Castagne featured in a 4-0 victory for Roberto Martinez’s men.

 
 
Castagne closes in on Craig Gordon during Belgium’s friendly against Scotland in September 2018 (Photo: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)

“I spoke to him in the tunnel before the game,” McLeish recalls. “We embraced and I told him how proud I was of him and to have worked with him. He is very humble and mentioned all those extra training sessions we had. Leicester have got a good one there.”

De Conde is also convinced Castagne is the perfect fit for Leicester, where he will team up again with Ndidi and join Belgium team-mates Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet in the Premier League at the King Power Stadium.

“I have no concerns about him adapting to England,” he says. “I think he is also the future of the Belgian national team at right-back, for sure.

“In England, the biggest thing to adapt to is the pace of the game, the intensity, but that is his quality so he will easily adapt.

“He has such a huge focus on what he is doing. He was coming in for training and not looking to the people around him, he was just focused on what he was doing himself. That is why he has a great personality.

“Coming from a small team in Belgium and then going to Genk, and then on to Italy, it has not been easy. Everyone was asking why he was going to Atalanta where the game is very different to Belgium but he adapted very well because he is focused on himself and on what he needs to do, and what the coach wants him to do.

“He is not affected by the media or what people will say around him. He is focused on his job and that is what makes him a very good player.

“It is very positive for our club. It is what we stand for at Genk. We develop young talent and they go abroad and have good careers, but I am not just proud of Timothy going to the Premier League. At Genk we are not proud that we can bring them to this level, we are only proud that they succeed at this level and I am convinced he will not only go to Leicester but he will play an important role for the club.

“I know he is ready.”


 

Looks like a good personality 

Cheers for this. That's what you want to hear about; the character as much as the ability.

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murphy

murphy

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10 minutes ago, Fightforever said:

Good physically is music to my ears since we are in dire need of some physicality

That's a good point.  I always felt that Chilwell was  ...well .. a bit too nice.  Castagne is clearly not a clogger, but I think some added muscle will benefit us.

 

 

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ARTY_FOX

ARTY_FOX

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3 hours ago, Danny280995 said:

Hes on international duties so we cant do a announcement until he's back, jhezz, use your brain

Well they can if they weren't so bothered about making a shitty video. Which is what I was saying. 

Jheez.... 

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