Victor Lobry's move to ASSE will remain a disappointment. The midfielder stayed 549 days in the drill, but did not leave his mark on the Saint-Etienne club. After crossing the desert, he finds a club and expresses himself.
Arriving on July 20, 2022 from Pau, this playmaker trained in Reims had everything good for the Greens. Free, he was coming out of a full season with Pau. He leaves Forez in January 2024 to finish the season with Guingamp who will not be able to offer him a contract due to lack of financial means. Unemployed since June, Victor Lobry trained alone and made his comeback in Ligue 2. The former Greens midfielder signed up with Amiens this week and is thus getting closer to his native region. He spoke after his signing was made official.
An unexpected signing at ASSE
Victor Lobry (ex-ASSE) : “I'm doing two seasons in Pau and I'm not extending because I have requests, including Saint-Étienne where I'm signing. Going from Pau to Saint-Étienne? It's completely crazy and magnificent, because five years earlier, I was in National 2. Honestly, I didn't think I would go to Saint-Étienne. I was approached by L2 clubs, because I had had a good season in Pau. Laurent Batlles, the coach, wanted me. The first season (2022-2023) is going well and I play a lot (36 matches). Then, during the second season, I played less (15 matches, 310 minutes of play in the league).
So, I'm going to Guingamp (early January 2024). I've had a good six months (18 matches) and I'm enjoying it too. But I am not extending for financial reasons, because the club has been impacted by falling TV rights. I got it a little across my throat. I took a risk to go to Guingamp, because above all I wanted to play football and I had terminated my contract at ASSE, which ran until 2024.
When you are a player, you are driven by this desire to want to play, whether it is professional or amateur. So, I am not extending at Guingamp and I find myself without a club at the end of the 2023-2024 season, at the end of June. I had contacts with French and foreign clubs. I refused certain offers and, at the end of the summer transfer window, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
-Lobry in the shadows
Victor Lobry (ex-ASSE) : “I worked with several physical trainers. I didn't just have to train with a club to stay in shape, I had to progress. I put in the resources and built a weight room at home. I worked out every day to stay in shape. During this period, I took the time to think and decided to move closer to my region in Picardy. I wondered where I could be okay. Familiarly and sportingly, Amiens ticked all the boxes. In life, there are choices that require reflection. You also have to know how to be patient.”
Recommended by Monconduit and Dreyer
Victor Lobry (ex-ASSE) : “I worked with several physical trainers. I didn't just have to train with a club to stay in shape, I had to progress. I put in the resources and built a weight room at home. I worked out every day to stay in shape. During this period, I took the time to think and decided to move closer to my region in Picardy. I wondered where I could be okay. Familiarly and sportingly, Amiens ticked all the boxes. In life, there are choices that require reflection. You also have to know how to be patient. I've had this wish for a long time. It's not a secret. The club knows that I have wanted to come for a while. The opportunity presented itself. Of course, there were concessions to be made, but in the end, everyone wins. I know I will be good in Amiens. It's not the worst club in Ligue 2 and, having known others, it has good facilities. It has everything you need.
Amiens SC? The image of a serious club. He's a sure bet in the Ligue 2 championship. I played with Thomas Monconduit and Matthieu Dreyer in Saint-Étienne. They only told me good things about it. I'm really happy. […] I'm 29 years old and I have to bring my experience. I played ups and downs. I have played in big and small stadiums. I've tried a little bit of everything and, if I plan on the long term, Amiens is perfect. I still have some left under my boots.”
