It’s no secret: Anouar Ait El Hadj will have a hard time establishing himself as Cameron Puertas’ successor at Union Saint-Gilloise, where he didn’t appear on the scoresheet either against Kortrijk (3- 0), nor at Club Bruges (1-1), two matches where the team generally gave satisfaction to Sébastien Pocognoli.
His integration into an eleven where there is much more effort to be made than at Anderlecht or even Genk is obviously not going to happen in a few weeks, which is why his contract runs until 2028.
Meanwhile Teddy Teuma, the ex-captain of the Union and predecessor of… Puertas, still captain of Stade de Reims, does not play much either despite this status.
The armband generally surrounds the arm of Emmanuel Agbadou (ex-AS Eupen) when he is not on the field.
His playing time has fallen sharply in Ligue 1 (136 minutes in 5 matches) since Will Still, Franck Haise’s successor on the RC Lens bench, gave up his T1 position to Luka Elsner, not really a fan of Teuma and vice versa when he coached the Union in D1B, during the 2018-2019 season.
The Maltese would also have accompanied Still well, who brought him to Reims in July 2023, and essentially relied on him.
But the former Moroccan Zebra of Burnley Anass Zaroury, attacking midfielder, was the priority at Bollaert, where he signed for four years at the end of August.
Elsner makes no secret of it, there is a Teuma problem
In short, and Elsner makes no secret of it, there is a Teuma problem.
“The situation is not easy for him,” he admits. “He’s a competitor, and I put myself in his place…”
Suspended in the opening match against Lille (0-2, August 17), then injured in the back for the trip to Marseille (2-2, August 25), the Maltese international midfielder (31 years old, 38 caps, 3 goals) did not only started once, on September 15 in Nantes (1-2), and therefore started on the bench four of the five matches for which he was operational.
He experiences it quite badly, feels neglected, and this is sometimes seen on the ground, noted The Team (https://tinyurl.com/mr43jwer).
Coming up at the hour mark in place of his young Ivorian competitor Yaya Fofana (20 years old), Sunday against Montpellier (4-2), he scored his first goal of the season from the penalty spot in added time (90th + 3 ).
Elsner will in any case have to handle the Teuma case with tact, and is well aware of this.
The former coach of Kortrijk and Standard – a resounding flop – must not risk seeing his player, under contract until June 2027, become demotivated.
Which could arouse desires elsewhere.
The Union? A wonderful challenge, but…
The Union would then obviously represent a magnificent challenge, and in no case a step backward, with the Europa League as a bonus, but not achievable other than in the form of a loan without purchase option until the end of the season.
Salary would not be the least of the problems but on the other hand, strengthening a competing Ligue 1 club is a much more risky option.
Elsner, highly appreciated by the management of the Reims club, risks staying there for a good while longer, at least if he continues to take the team to first class, just behind Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain .
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