| Name: Valentin Gendrey | Date of birth: 21/06/2000 |
| Position: RB | Preferred foot: Right |
| Nationality: French | Club: US Lecce |
| Contract until: 30/06/2026 | Competition: Serie A |
| International: France U-21 (3 caps) | Agency: BS & PARTNERS |
Report:
Valentin Gendrey stands at around 1.75 meters with an average build. He lacks strength in both shoulder-to-shoulder duels and duels with his back towards the goal, which becomes apparent when he tries to push opponents off the ball. Gendrey struggles in aerial duels due to his lack of jumping reach. This makes him a vulnerable target for the opposition defending crosses and set-pieces. He lacks speed over both short and longer distances as his opponent often is significantly quicker than him, even leading to goals for the opponent as he gets outsprinted. He displays decent agility. Gendrey has good stamina.
Defensively, playing as a right-back in a four-at-the-back, Valentin Gendrey displays decent pressing ability, although his lack of strength holds him back from winning back the ball. He tries to disrupt his opponent in duels with his back towards the goal by leaning into his opponent, but mostly gives away fouls or fails to push the opponent off the ball. Valentin Gendrey is a decent 1v1 defender, although it is sometimes too easy for the opponent to turn away from him. In isolated 1v1s on the wing, Gendrey manages to block the opponent’s crosses quite often. His reaction speed is quite good and times his tackles well. The biggest concern regarding Gendrey’s defensive ability is his lack of defensive vision. He sometimes gets dragged out of position easily and does not have the recovery speed to make up for his mistakes. Gendrey only covers depth well when his opponent makes a run in front of him. He often fails to scan and spot his opponent making a blindside run. This makes him quite vulnerable defending with space in his back. He sometimes does not spot the run and does not have the speed to make up ground quickly.
Gendrey is sometimes involved in first-phase possession, dropping deep next to the right central defender. However, sometimes he makes runs down the touchline. Gendrey likes to play angled passes into the attack in first-phase possession, His short passing technique is clean, but he struggles with his tight passing. Gendrey has decent passing under pressure but often struggles to find the right option, showcasing a lack of vision and quick decision-making in possession. His through passing is good. Gendrey is not often involved in the attack in the final third. He displays decent crossing ability, sometimes creating shooting opportunities for his teammates. Gendrey looks composed on the ball in the final third but needs too much time to make a decision, maybe being a bit indecisive. His long passing technique is decent but not great. Gendrey often fails to find his teammates.
In general, I think Valentin Gendrey is an average right-back at this level. He does not stand out in a single aspect. The lack of specific, outstanding qualities makes him an average right-back who can not make a transfer to a higher level. He should mainly work on his explosiveness and defensive vision.
Target Scouting 