Frédéric Guilbert

Frédéric Guilbert came through the youth ranks of AS Valognes before Stade Malherbe Caen picked him up in 2008. His senior football began away from Caen, though, with a spell at Cherbourg in 2013–14, and it was Bordeaux who gave him his first proper platform, developing him through their reserve side before handing him first-team minutes. A loan back to Caen turned into a permanent switch in July 2017, a reported €1.5 million deal that led to 55 appearances and, in January 2019, a move to Aston Villa for a fee reported at around £5 million.

His time in England produced only 25 league appearances, interrupted by loans back to Caen and then to Strasbourg, where he made 46 appearances in 2021–22. He did reach a major final during his Villa spell, finishing on the losing side in the 2019–20 EFL Cup. When Villa terminated his contract by mutual consent in January 2023, Strasbourg took him back permanently on a free transfer, and he went on to make 50 appearances there, picking up the club's Player of the Month award in March 2021 and again in February 2024.

He moved to Italy in August 2024, signing for US Lecce on a free transfer on a two-year deal with the option of a third season. Internationally, his recognition has been limited to a single France U21 cap in 2015. Guilbert has built his career on a mix of loan spells and permanent moves rather than a settled long stay at any one club.