- Enock Kwateng left FC Nantes to join the Girondins de Bordeaux last summer.
- At the end of the contract in Nantes, he left free in Gironde.
- The 22-year-old defender lives a complicated season not only on a personal but also a sporting level.
An exodus in anonymity which neither moved the supporters, nor generated an outcry from the followers of the FCN. Last summer, Enock Kwateng left Nantes libre to join the Girondins de Bordeaux for four years. Like his predecessor as right back Leo Dubois, he did not report any compensation to his training club since his contract expired in June 2019, but criticism of the Nantes management was more rare than for the departure of the Lyonnais. Often the target of fans on social networks, the player, not vindictive for a penny, still wanted to thank among others "to the Kita family, Matthieu Bideau and Samuel Fenillat [youth recruiter at FCN and director of training center], coach Cardoso and coach Vahid and the Nantes supporters' upon his arrival in Gironde.
At FCN, everything was not rosy for the defender, originally from Mantes-la-Jolie. Passed professional in 2015, Kwateng had to wait until the 2018-2019 season, that is to say the one just before he joined Bordeaux to finally achieve an almost complete season in Ligue 1 (30 games). In order, Der Zakarian, René Girard, Sergio Conceição and Claudio Ranieri hardly trusted him, often preferring Léo Dubois. "His departure from Nantes was inevitable and desirable," breathes one of his relatives.
Nantes wanted (timidly) to extend it
The Girondins de Bordeaux very quickly feel the blow (without compensation) to achieve: a right side - a position very popular with clubs -, a young element (22 at the time) and an international (in all categories of young people) . Even if English and German clubs express an interest and instill doubt in his mind, Kwateng is quickly "seduced by the Bordeaux project", as he could say during his presentation. The financial side ends up deciding it.
"He signed a real nice contract [signing bonus] while in Nantes, he was still at the salary of a first professional contract," said a person familiar with the matter. The management of FC Nantes, who had already let Léo Dubois go free a few months ago, comes back in vain with a proposal to extend the contract, but quickly closes the file when it realizes that it will not be able to line up on the Bordeaux proposal.
A complicated season in Bordeaux
The Bordeaux seduction operation has already been launched. The speech of Bordeaux coach Paulo Sousa appeals to the player, as does that of Eduardo Macia, responsible for recruiting the Girondins. "The latter was already following him from the time he was in Leicester with Claudio Ranieri ...", reports this former close friend of the player. For the anecdote, the Italian technician, even if he did not line up Kwateng during his season on the Nantes bench, always appreciated the profile of the player.
Enock Kwateng nevertheless lives a mixed season in Gironde. Complicated on a personal level, unsuccessful on a sporting level. When contacted, he replied to 20 Minutes that he “didn't really want to speak at the moment”. The defender experienced a tragedy. He has just lost his brother after a long illness. At the start of the week, he resumed training after ten days of rest allocated by the management of the Girondins. "We hope that in the second half of the season, he will continue to grow alongside us by winning in the starting line-up," concludes Eduardo Macia, who praises the player's mentality. And Kwateng hopes to speed up a season in slow motion (seven tenure) and take off a career still blocked at the promise stage.
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