Thiago Maia scouting report: How the former Santos starlet went from sex motels to Marcelo Bielsa's Lille

One of the more intriguing sides to watch in the coming season will be Lille, now under the stewardship of Marcelo 'El Loco' Bielsa, one of the game's true visionaries.

Les Dogues started their summer transfer drive by adding Luiz Araújo and Thiago Mendes from São Paulo, and followed it up last week with the capture of Thiago Maia.

The midfielder, who came through the ranks at Santos and was part of Brazil's successful 2016 Olympic squad, had long been tipped for the top and will now hope to progress to the next level under Bielsa's watch. It's all a far cry from his days living in a sex motel when he first moved away from home.

Read more about Thiago Maia in my latest Unibet scouting report.