Who is El Chadaille Bitshiabu? PSG's next Presnel Kimbembe
Stuart Telford
- 3 Oct 2022 20:50 BST
- 4 min read
El Chadaille Bitshiabu made his PSG debut in April at the tender age of 16, but what else is there to know about the hulking young centre-back?
Bitshiabu was handed his Ligue 1 debut in a 3-0 win at Angers aged 16 years, 11 months and five days, making him Paris Saint-Germain's third-youngest debutant behind Kingsley Coman and Nicolas Anelka until Warren Zaïre-Emery overtook him in August.
Still younger than Mamadou Sakho and Adrien Rabiot were when they first featured for the French capital club, onlookers have to do a double-take when they discover Bitshiabu is still only 17.
He stands at 6'5" and plays like a centre-back with a much older head on his young shoulders. Also a regular France under-19 youth international - playing two age groups up - Bitshiabu is one of the brightest gems in PSG's youth academy.
✍️ Our 𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒊 El Chadaille Bitshiabu has signed a professional contract with @PSG_English 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/P5KCnCF4GG
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 27, 2020
What position does Bitshiabu play in?
Like fellow academy graduate and now PSG captain Kimpembe, Bitshiabu is a left-footed centre-back who is happy playing right in the heart of back four, but also has the pace and distribution from wide areas to play on the left of a back three.
He is also surprisingly good with the ball at at his feet, and was even tested in midfield by former PSG centre-back Zoumana Camara for the club's under-19s last season.
How good is Bitshiabu?
With Kimpembe, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos in Christophe Galtier's first-team squad, competition for central defensive places if fierce, but Bitshiabu has made the matchday squad for three Ligue 1 games this season, and it is surely only a matter of time before he becomes a first-team regular.
He won the European Under-17 Championship with France in June, and already shares Kimpembe's ability to lead, although for now it is more by example than anything.
What clubs are interested in Bitshiabu?
The race for Bitshiabu's signature is heating up in Germany and England. Bayern Munich have a significant French contingent that also included Coman, and they tempted Tanguy Nianzou away from the PSG academy in 2020. RB Leipzig have also sent scouts to watch him.
In recent weeks, Premier League leaders Arsenal and champions Manchester City have also been credited with an interest in a player who might not stick around at the Parc des Princes unless regular first-team minutes follow in short order.
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When does Bitshiabu's contract expire?
Bitshiabu only signed his first pro contract in July, agreeing terms on a deal that keeps him at the club until June 2024.
How old is Bitshiabu?
Born 16 May 2005, Bitshiabu was still only 17 at the time of writing.
What is Bitshiabu's Istagram?
El Chadaille Bitshiabu's Instagram has 85.3K followers as of October 2022.
