Willem Geubbels is back with the Lecce squad, and the coming home meeting with Bologna offers the French forward a chance to begin again after an interrupted first spell in Italy.
There has been little time for Geubbels to settle since arriving from Paris FC at the start of August. He was immediately handed starts in the Coppa Italia tie at Palermo and in the opening Serie A fixtures against Venezia and Roma, but his early appearances did not yet show the full range of qualities that persuaded Lecce to make him their record signing. The club paid €4.6 million for the centre-forward, its largest outlay for a player.
His difficult introduction was particularly apparent in Sicily, where he failed to take two chances he would ordinarily expect to finish. Then, during the match against Roma, an accidental collision with Gianluca Mancini brought a further setback. Geubbels suffered a sprain to his left ankle nine minutes into the second half and was forced into a period of treatment and individual work.
That recovery has now reached an important point. Having completed his rehabilitation programme, the 24-year-old has returned to full group training and has Bologna in sight for Sunday the 11th at the Via del Mare.
The occasion will also carry a sense of history for Lecce. The Via del Mare has just marked its 60th anniversary, its first ever match having been the Serie C contest between Lecce and Taranto on 2 October 1966. Six decades later, the ground will host a side still looking for its forwards to provide a decisive contribution in Serie A.
Lecce have collected six points through victories over Venezia and Monza, yet their attacking players have not found the net in the league. It is an issue that has carried over from last season and one coach Eusebio Di Francesco needs to solve if the Salento club are to pursue a fifth consecutive survival in the top flight.
Geubbels arrives with evidence that he can supply goals. He struck 14 times in 31 Swiss league appearances for St Gallen in 2024-25, before scoring five goals across 24 Ligue 1 matches for Paris FC last season. Lecce now need those previous returns to translate into Italian football, beginning with the gradual task of restoring match sharpness after his ankle injury.
