Florent Cuvelier

Florent Cuvelier

Personal information
Full name	Florent Paul Pierre Christian Cuvelier [1]
Date of birth	(1992-09-12) 12 September 1992 (age 32) [2]
Place of birth	Anderlecht, Belgium
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) [3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1998–2000	Excelsior Biévène
2000–2002	La Louvière
2002–2008	Mouscron
2008–2010	Portsmouth
2010–2011	Stoke City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2013	Stoke City	0	(0)
2012	→ Walsall (loan)	18	(4)
2012	→ Walsall (loan)	19	(2)
2013	→ Peterborough United (loan)	1	(0)
2013–2016	Sheffield United	19	(0)
2014	→ Port Vale (loan)	1	(0)
2015	→ Burton Albion (loan)	1	(1)
2016–2018	Walsall	45	(0)
2018–2019	Morecambe	0	(0)
Total		100	(7)
International career
2008	Belgium U16	4	(0)
2008–2009	Belgium U17	12	(0)
2009–2010	Belgium U18	10	(0)
2010–2011	Belgium U19	18	(2)
2010–2012	Belgium U20	3	(0)
2012	Belgium U21	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Florent Paul Pierre Christian Cuvelier (born 12 September 1992) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Cuvelier began his career with Mouscron before joining the Academy of English side Portsmouth. Due to Portsmouth's financial demise, Cuvelier signed for Stoke City in the summer of 2010. At Stoke, he has spent time out on loan at Walsall and Peterborough United. He joined Sheffield United in September 2013 for an undisclosed fee. He joined Port Vale on loan in January 2014 and picked up a serious injury during the loan spell. After returning to fitness, he was loaned to Burton Albion in March 2015. He signed with Walsall in June 2016 and played there for two seasons. He joined Morecambe for a brief spell in October 2018.

Career

Stoke City

Cuvelier started playing football for his local side Mouscron before moving to England to play for Portsmouth's youth team. He spent just a year on the south coast before joining Stoke City in July 2010. ^[4] He rejected contract offers from Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham. ^[5] Cuvelier spent the 2010–11 season with the academy before becoming a regular with the reserves.

On 27 January 2012 Cuvelier joined League One side Walsall on a month-long loan. ^{[6] [7] [8]} He made his professional debut four days later against Notts County. ^[9] He scored his first professional goal against Oldham Athletic in a 2–1 defeat at Boundary Park. ^[10] After impressing "Saddlers" manager Dean Smith, Cuvelier extended his loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. ^{[11] [12]} He was nominated for the League One Player of the Month award for his performances in March 2012. ^[13] He returned to Stoke after playing 18 matches for Walsall, scoring four goals. ^[14] He signed a new two-year contract with Stoke in May 2012. ^[15]

Cuvelier returned to Walsall on a six-month loan in July 2012. ^[16] He scored against his old club Portsmouth on 15 September 2012 in a 2–1 win. ^[17] In total he played 17 times in his second spell at the Bescot Stadium, scoring three goals. On 27 March 2013, Cuvelier joined Championship side Peterborough United on loan until the end of the 2012–13 season. ^[18] He played once for Peterborough before returning to Stoke where he appeared on the bench for the first time against Southampton in the final match of the 2012–13 season. ^[19]

Sheffield United

On 2 September 2013, Cuvelier joined League One side Sheffield United on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[20] He started six games at the start of the 2013–14 campaign under manager David Weir but lost his first-team place after Nigel Clough took charge in October; Clough stated that Cuvelier was available to go out on loan during the January transfer window. ^[21] On 16 January 2014, he joined league rivals Port Vale on loan until the end of the season. ^[22] Manager Micky Adams stated that "He's had very little football at Sheffield United so if there is one worry it is that maybe he might need four or five games to get himself up to full speed. Really we can't afford four or five games, we need him to hit the floor running if he possibly can." ^[23] He made his debut at Vale Park three days later. He was forced to leave the pitch on a stretcher on 36 minutes after picking up a knee injury. ^[24] He was later ruled out for the rest of the season after it was found that he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). ^[25]

He returned to full fitness in November 2014. ^[26] He returned to first-team action on 6 December as a late substitute in a 3–0 FA Cup victory over Plymouth Argyle and provided the assist for the third goal. ^[27] He joined Burton Albion on loan for the remainder of the 2014–15 season on 6 March 2015. ^[28] The next day he came off the bench to score the only goal of the game at Hartlepool United. ^[29] Impressed by manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and living just ten minutes drive from the Pirelli Stadium, Cuvelier stated that he would be interested in making his stay with Burton permanent. ^[30] However, he was unable to recover from a hamstring injury picked up during his appearance against Hartlepool and played no further part of Burton's title-winning season. ^[31]

He made nine appearances in the 2015–16 campaign. He was publicly praised by manager Nigel Adkins in November and February for his "first class attitude". ^{[32] [33]} He was released by new manager Chris Wilder in May 2016. ^[34]

Walsall

In June 2016, Cuvelier returned to Walsall, signing a one-year contract. ^[35] He struggled with an ankle knock and ear infection in the first half of the 2016–17 season, before going on to struggle with a calf injury. ^[36] Despite these setbacks he signed a new one-year contract in March 2017, with manager Jon Whitney saying "he's the type of person you can build your team around." ^[37] He was restricted to 23 appearances across the 2017–18 season due to the form of George Dobson. ^[38] Speaking in April he stated that the appointment of new manager Dean Keates had the players "buzzing" as Cuvelier also made a return to the starting eleven at the Bescot Stadium under the new manager. ^[39] However, he was released by Walsall at the end of the 2017–18 season. ^[40]

Morecambe

On 26 October 2018, Cuvelier joined Morecambe on a three-month contract and said that "the last couple of months have been difficult, they've been a roller coaster and I was delivering pizza just to get some money coming in". ^{[41] [42]} Manager Jim Bentley had brought Cuvelier to the Globe Arena after injuries to James Sinclair, Lamin Jagne, Alex Kenyon, Andrew Tutte, Andrew Fleming and Aaron Wildig. ^[43] However, he featured in only one EFL Trophy game for the "Shrimps" before his contract expired on 25 January. ^[44]

International career

Cuvelier has progressed through Belgium's youth team and was captain of the Belgium U19 squad.

Style of play

Speaking in January 2014, Walsall Advertiser reporter Michael Beardmore described Cuvelier as "a creative, energetic attacking midfielder and... for such a young player he had a really mature head on his shoulders. ^[45]

Career statistics

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stoke City	2011–12 [46]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2012–13 [47]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Walsall (loan)	2011–12 [46]	League One	18	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	4
	2012–13 [47]	League One	15	2	0	0	2	0	1 [a]	1 [a]	17	3
	Total		33	6	0	0	2	0	1	1	35	7
Peterborough United (loan)	2012–13 [47]	Championship	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Sheffield United	2013–14 [48]	League One	7	0	0	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	8	0
	2014–15 [49]	League One	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
	2015–16 [50]	League One	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	0
	Total		19	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	22	0
Port Vale (loan)	2013–14 [48]	League One	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Burton Albion (loan)	2014–15 [49]	League Two	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Walsall	2016–17 [51]	League One	22	0	0	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	23	0
	2017–18 [52]	League One	23	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	23	0
	2018–19 [53]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		45	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	46	0
Morecambe	2018–19 [53]	League Two	0	0	0	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	1	0
Career total			100	7	1	0	3	0	4	1	107	8

1. Appearance/s and goal/s in the EFL Trophy.

References

1. "КОМАНДЫ: Бельгия" [Teams: Belgium] (in Russian). Granatkin Memorial. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
2. "Florent Cuvelier". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
3. Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 534. ISBN   978-0-7553-6356-8.
4. "Stoke sign Pompey's Belgian teenage midfielder Cuvelier". BBC Sport. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
5. "City Sign Belgian Youngster". Stoke City F.C. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
6. "Cuvelier Joins Saddlers on Loan". Stoke City F.C. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
7. "Walsall sign Florent Cuvelier from Stoke City on loan". BBC Sport. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
8. "Cuvelier in full flo". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
9. "Walsall v Notts County". BBC Sport. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
10. "Oldham 2–1 Walsall". BBC Sport. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
11. "Cuvelier Extends Loan Spell". Stoke City F.C. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
12. "Boost as Cuvelier stays for the season". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
13. "Cuvelier wants Stoke City first-team chance". BBC Sport. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
14. "Walsall's on-loan Stoke midfielder Cuvelier considers next move". BBC Sport. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
15. "Flo Pens New Deal". Stoke City F.C. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
16. "Boost as Flo returns". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 16 July 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
17. "Portsmouth 1–2 Walsall". BBC Sport. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
18. "Peterborough United sign Florent Cuvelier from Stoke City". BBC Sport. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
19. "Southampton 1–1 Stoke". BBC Sport. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
20. "Sheffield United sign Florent Cuvelier and Harry Bunn". BBC Sport. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
21. "Star duo could leave on loan". Sheffield Star. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
22. "Transfer window: Florent Cuvelier joins Port Vale on loan". BBC Sport. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
23. Baggaley, Mike (16 January 2014). "Port Vale sign former Stoke City midfielder Florent Cuvelier". The Sentinel . Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
24. "Port Vale 1 – 0 Oldham Athletic". BBC Sport. 18 January 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
25. "Port Vale midfielder Florent Cuvelier out for the season". BBC Sport. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
26. Baggaley, Mike (28 November 2014). "Rob Page pleased to see Flo Cuvelier back in action". The Sentinel . Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
27. "Result: Blades 3 Plymouth 0: Baxter penalty double as United ease through". Sheffield Star. 6 December 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
28. "Florent Cuvelier: Burton Albion sign Sheffield United man on loan". BBC Sport. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
29. "Hartlepool 0 – 1 Burton". BBC Sport. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
30. Sloan, Tom (13 March 2015). "Florent Cuvelier already up for a longer stay". Derby Telegraph . Retrieved 11 May 2015.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
31. Sloan, Tom (10 April 2015). "Florent Cuvelier ruled out for the season". Derby Telegraph . Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
32. Shield, James (22 November 2015). "Sheffield United: Nigel Adkins' praise for John Brayford and Florent Cuvelier". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
33. "Sheffield United boss Nigel Adkins praises attitude of returning Florent Cuvelier". Sheffield Star. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
34. "Jose Baxter: Sheffield United release forward after suspension". BBC Sport. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
35. "Florent Cuvelier: Walsall re-sign former on-loan midfielder on one-year contract". BBC Sport. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
36. "Florent Cuvelier targeting Walsall promotion following extension". Express and Star. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
37. "Florent Cuvelier: Walsall midfielder signs new contract with League One club". BBC Sport. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
38. Masi, Joseph (2 March 2018). "Florent Cuvelier fighting for Walsall starting spot". Express and Star. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
39. Masi, Joseph (4 April 2018). "Florent Cuvelier: Dean Keates has Walsall 'buzzing'". Express and Star. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
40. "Erhun Oztumer: Walsall midfielder says he would like to leave Saddlers". BBC Sport. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
41. "Florent Cuvelier: Morecambe sign former Walsall central midfielder". BBC Sport. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
42. "Florent Cuvelier: Morecambe midfielder back in game after spell delivering pizzas". BBC Sport. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
43. "Morecambe make midfielder signing ahead of Newport trip". The Visitor. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
44. Browne, Gavin (25 January 2019). "Morecambe boss Jim Bentley reveals Florent Cuvelier will depart the club". The Visitor. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
45. "Florent Cuvelier can be 'one of the best midfielders in League One'". The Sentinel . 17 January 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
46. "Games played by Florent Cuvelier in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
47. "Games played by Florent Cuvelier in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
48. "Games played by Florent Cuvelier in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
49. "Games played by Florent Cuvelier in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
50. "Games played by Florent Cuvelier in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
51. "Games played by Florent Cuvelier in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
52. "Games played by Florent Cuvelier in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
53. "Games played by Florent Cuvelier in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2018.

External links

• Florent Cuvelier at Soccerbase
• Florent Cuvelier at the Royal Belgian Football Association