Present at a press conference on the sidelines of the match against Lyon (Sunday, 3 p.m.), Antoine Kombouaré raised the case of Johann Lepenant. If the midfielder on loan from OL cannot play the next match because of a clause in his contract, he will sign up for the long term with the Canaries.
A real strong man for Nantes at the start of the season, Johann Lepenant does not yet belong to the Canaries. Loaned since August 10 by Olympique Lyonnais, the midfielder could return to the Rhône on July 1. But that would be without taking into account its potential and its performances which please its managers. Over the last five days, the Frenchman (21 years old) has always started and has only missed two minutes. In addition to this great playing time, the former Caen player made it happen, with two goals and an assist (against Angers and Saint-Étienne).
If his first six matches satisfied the Nantes coach and managers, the player loaned with a purchase option of 2.5 million euros, will sign up for the long term with the Canaries. “There is a good chance that Lepenant will stay with us. From the start, I have deplored that, but I am only a coach. He is on loan and we have the possibility of keeping him with us. And we know that we will keep it, even if we couldn’t (this summer) for financial reasons”, confided Antoine Kombouaré, at a press conference this Friday.
Lepenant will officially become a Nantes player if he displays a tenure rate of 50%, then a four-year contract will follow for the Olympic International, silver medalist this summer at the Paris Olympic Games.
A clause prohibits the participation of Lepenant against Lyon
Opposed this weekend to the club to which he belongs (Lyon), Johann Lepenant, elected Canary of the month by his supporters, will not be there on Sunday, at Parc OL. A clause in his contract prohibits him from playing, something Kombouaré had tried to avoid. “We pushed so that we could see him play against his club. It was me who discussed the contract so I was able to try to put pressure on Lyon so that this clause did not exist,” explained the Canaries coach.
Aware that his midfielder will not play this match, Antoine Kombouaré has prepared for this big loss, but also that of Castelleto, sent to reserve after a verbal clash. It is therefore a weakened FC Nantes which will present itself in Lyon, Sunday at 3 p.m.
