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From OM to unemployment, the incredible tumble of Giannelli Imbula

2021-01-26T06:52:36.582Z


At 28, the former hope of French football has disappeared from the radar. It could have revived in Guingamp or Nantes this winter, but


It was one of those rough diamonds such as French football often conceals but which, by dint of not wanting to be shaped, today looks like a lonely and forgotten little stone.

At 28, Giannelli Imbula, after wearing the jersey of OM, Porto, Stoke City or Toulouse, now trains alone in Val-d'Oise.

In 2013, this relay midfielder with the quality of a sharp pass was announced as the new Claude Makelele.

But where the latter has shown a mind and an unfailing humility during his career, Imbula was quick to reveal a huge weak point: an introverted character that he tried to overcome with a verbal aggressiveness that was sometimes inappropriate.

And he didn't get a better handle on his high self-esteem.

The road that was to lead him to the Blues changed direction on October 14, 2013 during a match with the France Espoirs team.

Unhappy with a replacement, Imbula insults a healer who has come to hand him a tracksuit.

The boss of the Bleuets, Willy Sagnol, dismisses him from the group.

Rayo Vallecano, Lecce, Sochi, the headlong rush

OM, who bought him 7.5 million euros from Guingamp, sold him 20 million euros to Porto in 2015. Six months later, he went to the Premier League in Stoke City for 25 million euros .

In England, no need to go through the City to know that certain assets are overpriced.

Imbula will slowly disappear from radar screens.

A failed revival in Toulouse, an interesting loan to Rayo Vallecano and another missed in Lecce.

By dint of playing the roller coaster, he tries his luck in Sochi where he will nibble only 30 minutes of play in the Russian championship.

Without a club at the start of the season, Guingamp (L2), the club of his professional beginnings, allows him to train with the reserve team.

A verbal agreement is sealed.

If at the beginning of January, he has not found anything, he will be tested with the pro group.

This is what happens but at the end of a day, he slips away to pass a test with Nantes to the fury of the Breton leaders.

"I had good information on him," explains Guingamp coach Mehmed Bazdarevic.

I wanted to see his physical condition, but the idea was to sign him for six months.

And we learned that he had left for Nantes.

Frankly, I would have understood that he wanted to try his luck in L1.

But we just had to warn us by correction.

It was a minimum.

"

In Nantes, too, he was deemed too discreet

If Imbula went without saying anything to Nantes, it is because he had just been called by the new coach Raymond Domenech.

“Raymond told us he believed in him,” explains one among the Canaries.

We made him happy but we must not exaggerate.

What we saw of him did not encourage us to take him.

Already, there was no room for him.

And, in our situation, we are also looking for personalities to maintain us.

He is too discreet.

"

Too fair for Nantes and toast in Guingamp, Imbula returned to train near Argenteuil (Val-d'Oise).

Still having no point of fall, he has just been offered to Celtic Glasgow, current 2nd in the Scottish Championship.

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Willy Sagnol, his ex-coach in Hopes, is almost disappointed to see the slow decline of an innate talent.

“In Marseille, in Espoirs, and in his other experiences, there were a few failures, he sighs.

You need character in football, but you also have to accept questioning and positive criticism in order to progress… ”

Asked about the subject, one of his former coaches sent us the following message: “He believed that everyone else was stupid and he finds himself all alone with his intelligence.

Such a waste.

"

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-01-26

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