Mo Salah will not have known who Moussa Niakhaté was until last Friday.
And probably the striker of FC Liverpool does not attach great importance to meeting the central defender of FSV Mainz 05 again.
In the test match of the two teams during their training camp in Tyrol, Salah was permanently exposed to an opponent who attacked him, who often appeared to want to get rid of his arms during his actions - which might have given the star striker of the Reds the impression that it was with one Octopuses to do with.
He couldn't cope with it.
This encounter was about nothing, but it was such appearances that made Niakhaté one of the main pillars of Mainz, one of the guarantors of defensive stability in the second half of last season. And which have certainly aroused the interest of larger and more financially strong clubs in him. Is that the case, whether he or his advisor are in contact with other clubs? “There is nothing to say about that at the moment,” says Niakhaté in the evening press round.
The 25-year-old said he had discussions with sports director Christian Heidel and sports director Martin Schmidt about his personal situation. “You know, but I don't want to explain the exact content here.” That leaves room for interpretation. And what about Bo Svensson's statement that the Frenchman appeared on the team as if he wanted to stay forever? “That's normal,” says Niakhaté, “that's professional. I'm 100 percent here, it's an honor to play for Mainz. ”So it goes without saying that I always give my all.
What would appeal to him if there were interested parties?
“If, and really if,” translates Patrick Zeilmann, when Niakhaté reaches for the interpreter's pen and circles the word “Si” three times, “so if that were the case, I don't think of competitions or leagues or countries, but of that Project. “It is football that has to convince him, says the player.
He also points out that club changes are nothing strange in football.
Every professional has his own career, so it is not a problem if one leaves the club.
“If someone leaves, it is because he thinks it is the best decision.
But it is not us who decide, but Christian Heidel and Martin Schmidt. "
No one pushing for a change
Coming to Mainz from Metz three years ago, at least according to the earlier 05 way of thinking of getting development players for decent money and reselling them at significantly higher prices, a farewell would be announced. Unlike his compatriot Jean-Philippe Mateta, who was also signed up for the 2018/19 season and was loaned to Crystal Palace in January, Niakhaté does not give the impression of wanting to push for a change - and certainly not of creating a bad mood if his wish is not fulfilled and deliver half-finished work.
The Mainz training camp ended with the test match against Gaziantep FK on Tuesday evening after eight days in Bad Häring and Schwoich. After strenuous but by no means boring days, Niakhaté assures that he is far from any hint of a camp bug. “It's a long time, of course, but we know why we're here and we know what to do. We play with each other and also with the fans, we chat and exchange ideas. So everything is good. "
The potential 05 captain could also talk in German. He largely understands the questions in the press round, even if they are sometimes a little longer, before Zeilmann repeats them in French. “I could also speak German” - which he does on the pitch - but in the interview it would take too long to search for words and build sentences. And people shouldn't lose so much time because of me. "
Well, there are worse things than talking to Moussa Niakhaté in any language. The 25-year-old is a pleasant, alert person to talk to. And quite a quick-witted one. When asked a question, he opens his eyes wide and makes a long face, slightly crooked from the grin: “Why were the French so bad at the European Championship?” He transforms the template that is associated with it as surely as his scoring chances in the previous one Second half of the season: "They were just as bad as the Germans."