You are at the end of your contract. How are you coping with this situation?
Alright ! In my head, today, there is only one thing: to help the club get back into Ligue 1 as quickly as possible. My future, now or in the summer, these are things that don’t matter to me for the moment. moment. We have a very important match coming up on Saturday and, frankly, I don’t have much time to think about it. I have confidence in myself, in my qualities. I don’t worry about the future.
You revealed in the Swiss daily Blick that Manchester United had approached you. Do you regret not following up?
No, I do not regret at all having refused Man U. I know myself and the request, it does not date from this summer, but from the previous summer when I was coming back from injury (patellar tendon injury). I know what I can bring and going to a team, even if it’s fantastic, as a number two is out of the question. I already experienced this in Leipzig (2017-2020) and I don’t want to relive it. I want to be on the pitch, helping my team win matches, feeling that adrenaline fully.
I would do everything to be part of the group (Swiss for the World Cup) and take as many matches as possible. For that, I need a club, a big club, to be able to compete with Gregor Kobel (Dortmund starter)
Because behind the scenes, there is always the Swiss selection?
Yes, of course, it’s always in the back of my mind. The qualifiers for the World Cup are coming soon, in September, and we of course hope to qualify for the final phase in the United States (2026). I will do everything to be part of the group and take as many matches as possible. For that, I need a club, a big club, to be able to compete with Gregor Kobel (Dortmund starter). Everything comes in time to those who wait. For now, I’m focused on FCL. Big deadlines are coming and we absolutely have to win these matches. I don’t want to project too far ahead.
Did Parma, Celtic Glasgow, Augsburg and Strasbourg ask you this summer?
These are questions to ask my agent. He has all the answers (laughs). But, yes, these teams have been interested. Afterwards, for a transfer to take place, three parties must be on the same wavelength. In all of these cases, there has been no common ground. However, I don’t believe that things happen by chance.
-At some point, I’m going to have options. And maybe the FCL will be part of it. It will be up to me to make the right choice
If FC Lorient returns to Ligue 1, is it still conceivable that you will extend?
At some point, I’m going to have options. And maybe the FCL will be part of it. It will be up to me to make the right choice. In the meantime, the important thing is to perform well to achieve this objective which is close to our hearts, to us players, but also to our supporters as well as those who work in the shadows. We all deserve to return to the elite.
At FCL, you are not the only one at the end of your contract or to have a certain thirst for something else in the short or medium term. Are these things that can weigh on the group?
We are all human beings. We have emotions, desires, ambitions, and it’s true that certain thoughts start gently from winter onwards and that’s normal. This is the way the football business is. For the moment, I haven’t really felt it in our locker room which is really going very well. Even players like me who are at the end of their contract this summer, they are calm, focused every day in training on our common goal. Afterwards, in football, things can go very quickly and the truth of one day is not necessarily that of the next.
What are the dangers awaiting the FCL in this second part of the season?
First of all, we must thank the staff. The coach and “Cahu” (Yannick Cahuzac), my goalkeeper coach and all those who are behind because they do an exceptional job with us on a daily basis. This is also why we are performing well this season. For me, we have one of the best squads in Ligue 2, if not the best. And we have to confirm it every match! Now, all the teams are waiting for us, as we saw in Laval. Also, every point from now on is going to be a battle. We need to get that into our heads.
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