in Nantes, Kombouaré is struggling with the transfer window “à la Kita”

This is a recurring point of tension between President Waldemar Kita and the many coaches who marched under his orders in Nantes: before going to challenge Marseille on Saturday (9:00 p.m.) in Ligue 1, Antoine Kombouaré increased the pressure around the transfer window .

Crowned with victory in the Coupe de France but worried about not having the means to face a season with four runs in L2 spiced up with at least six European matches, the Kanak coach had already clearly hesitated to re-enlist in June.

He had finally agreed with Kita, in particular on the transfer window, for which the president, very close to the controversial agents Mogi Bayat and Bakari Sanogo, accustomed his coaches to a flood of sometimes absurd arrivals dotted with a few good picks.

“I defined a list of players. I will judge on parts, but I trust“, assured Kombouaré at the end of May.

Two months later, only international midfielder Moussa Sissoko – currently injured – and strikers Mostafa Mohamed (Galatasaray) and Evann Guessand (Nice) came to reinforce a team orphaned by the will-o’-the-wisp Randal Kolo Muani and a slew of second knives.

Above all, uncertainty still reigns for three pillars, Alban Lafont, Ludovic Blas and Moses Simon. At the end of his patience, the coach ruled out any good exit.

“Work for reinforcements»

“For me, there’s no more departure, it’s over“, he hammered Thursday in front of the press. On the contrary, “you have to work for reinforcements. It’s an emergency, that’s very clear!“, he had already launched last week.

For captain Alban Lafont, imperial to keep the Canaries afloat during the first two days in Angers (0-0) and against Lille (1-1), it seems that the offers are not rushing.

On the other hand, according to several media, Nottingham Forrest, promoted to the Premier League, is very interested in Simon, who exhausted the Lille defense last week, and for which Nantes have already refused a 10 million euro offer from Nice. .

And above all, the discussions seemed about to end at the beginning of last week for a transfer from Blas to Lille. Silent in the media, the scorer in the Coupe de France final (1-0 against Nice) had made his choice, convinced that he would eventually have more chances of tasting Europe in better conditions by joining Lille.

But Kita hesitated and on Thursday, Kombouaré judged “unthinkable“A departure from his vice-captain to a club which, although ambitious, finished 10th last year (behind Nantes, 9th) and will not play in the European Cup this season.

“Veto”

“For me, Blas is a veto. Veto“, he insisted, specifying that it was the same for Lafont and Simon. “I sent messages. The management knows it, it sees it besides that we miss players (…). Afterwards, it is the president who takes his responsibilities“.

In an interview Monday with the daily L’Equipe, Waldemar Kita blew hot and cold by refusing any form of “pressurefrom his coach but also ensuring that Blas had to stay.

But if Kombouaré has returned to the charge, it is also because research is slipping to strengthen an offensive sector that is already too soft, and a fortiori to replace Blas or Simon in the event of departure. Thus, discussions with Lens to bring in Gaël Kakuta have stalled.

However, between L1 and the Europa League, Nantes will play 19 matches by mid-November, or one every 4.5 days. And the match against Lille, which started with a bang but ended breathlessly, showed the glaring lack of bench depth for the Canaries.

Unless Kombouaré decides to launch young people, while with Valentin Rongier, Jordan Veretout and Dimitri Payet, Marseille should have more players trained in Nantes on the ground than the Yellow and Green …