Football: why Zakary Lamgahez did not sign for Nîmes Olympique

Zakary Lamgahez finally signed a first professional contract (2 years + 1 year) with Le Mans. PHOTO LE MANS FC

Nîmes Olympique was counting on Zakary Lamgahez for next season, and Zakary Lamgahez was counting on Nîmes Olympique. He was promised a first professional contract. The 21-year-old Gard central defender has just signed up with Le Mans (National). Explanations.

"There was the desire of both parties to build together. Both humanly and sportingly, Zak is a good person. But the club was not able to release a professional contract as quickly as others. I am disappointed." This Monday, July 8, the day Nîmes Olympique resumed training, sports director Sébastien Larcier regretted the departure of Zakary Lamgahez at& ;nbsp;Mans (National), while the crocodile club wanted to keep it.

Versailles, Orléans, professional contract… Lamgahez will have made the news

The elegant 21-year-old central defender, born in Nîmes and trained at Montpellier Hérault (where he was a professional intern), has therefore been in the news in recent months. In spite of himself. In April, Adil Hermach, the new coach, promoted his central defender from reserve to first team. At the end of a superb first performance against Versailles (0-1), he was guilty of an unfortunate recovery, a decisive pass for the opponent from the Paris region.

Then he was at the center of the “Orléans affair”, the club from the Loire lodged a complaint about its qualification for the match between USO and NO, won by the Crocodiles (1-0). And, while waiting for the judgment finally favorable to the Nîmes, he was unable to be selected for the following matches.

A 3-year professional contract offered by Nîmes via WhatsApp

Satisfied with her performances in training and in the championship, the Nîmes management offered her a professional contract at the end of May. "We are  rsquo;was agreed verbally with the club, then Sébastien Larcier sent us a written proposal via WhatsApp, which we accepted, we explain in the   rsquo;entourage of the player. Zak wanted to sign for Nîmes and was delighted." As much as the proposal concerned a contract of three years firm.

No signature without departure, because it was necessary to release payroll

Except "that after a month, there was still no progress, no validation or signature. Then we were told that we had to wait because the club had to release payroll, we continue in the Lamgahez clan. We were told about ;rsquo;a medical examination, but which was also postponed. After a while, in Zak’s interest, we decided to look elsewhere. There was interest from abroad, from N2, and even one from Ligue 1 for him to be fourth central defender. And Le Mans arrived quickly, with a sporting project and attractive facilities." And a first professional contract lasting two years + one year.

On the one hand, even if NO suffered a deficit of more than 3 million last season, and therefore wants to exfiltrate certain players before recruiting others, the management and therefore Rani Assaf could have made the effort for Lamgahez, especially since the club's payroll was not limited by the DNCG, the financial policeman of French football. On the other hand, Zakary Lamgahez could have waited a little longer, the club, Sébastien Larcier and Adil Hermach counting on him…

His entourage: "What if he was injured ?"

"Yes, Zak would certainly have ended up signing pro in Nîmes, but we didn't know if it was going to be in a week, in a month or in a year , confides those around him. The club had just parted ways with two physiotherapists, financially, there was uncertainty. Zak was under amateur contract. And if he had been injured at the very start of the season, before having signed? He could have found himself with nothing

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