A time mentioned in Lens in order to compensate for a possible departure of Brice Samba, Jean Butez finally joined Côme, a club managed by Cesc Fàbregas in Italy.
A page was supposed to be turned at the start of 2025. Brice Samba was preparing to leave RC Lens for Stade Rennais, where he would reunite with Seko Fofana, his former captain. The ideal replacement was then called Jean Butez, to the point that the French press agreed on his name. However, the Artesian team has backtracked in recent days and put an end to this possibility. The native of Lille, trained at LOSC, therefore headed to Italy.
Having played with the Lille team from 2003 to 2018, Jean Butez (29 years old) officially left Royal Antwerp FC to join Côme 1907, promoted and currently sixteenth in Serie A this season. He has signed up until June 2028 with his new club as part of a transfer estimated at 2 million euros. There he will meet Diego Pérez, also a former LOSC player.
The first words of the Lille resident: “I am delighted to join Côme 1907. For me, it is a dream to be able to come and play in Italy. After playing for a few years in Belgium and winning a historic double with my previous club, Royal Antwerpen, I think joining this historic club is a big step forward for me. I had an excellent exchange with Mark-Jan Fledderus and coach Cesc Fàbregas. This is a project that I see myself growing in in the years to come. I am also very happy to be able to discover such a beautiful part of Italy with my family, my wife and my two children aged one and three. I can't wait to get to know the team and the fans and I think it will be a great adventure together.”declared Jean Butez upon his arrival in words relayed by an official press release.
