More than twelve years after leaving the cauldron, the panther could roar again at Geoffroy Guichard! Free of any contract since its departure from Saudi club Al Hilal, formalized on Tuesday, Bafétimbi Gomis, 36, would like, according to concordant sources, to participate in the complex maintenance operation initiated by Saint-Étienne, Ligue 1 red lantern with 7 points behind the barrage.
The former French international (12 caps, 3 goals) is very attached to his training club where he played with real success in 2002 and 2009 (he was loaned to Troyes for six months in 2004-2005). As soon as his departure from Saudi Arabia was announced, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Al Rayyan showed interest in Gomis. But the emotional track leading to Saint-Étienne, where he scored 49 goals and delivered 17 assists in 164 games, is not negligible. The player would even be ready to claim no salary so as not to burden the finances of Saint-Etienne!
However, his arrival, more in a joker role, is not so simple. Because the particular environment must also be taken into account. Clearly, his return would not delight an ultra fringe of Foréz supporters. At the heart of the problem: his transfer for 5 years to Lyon, the hereditary enemy, sealed in July 2009 for nearly 15 M€.
A certain fringe of unimpressed supporters
It seems that this move to OL is still not digested on the side of the fans. Already confronted with the distrust of part of their public, the Foréz leaders, attentive in parallel to other offensive tracks (Béric, Mateta), do not want to stir up tensions further.
Gomis arrived in Riyadh in August 2018 from Galatasaray. He completes his Saudi experience with 108 goals in 150 games and multiple titles: two Championships, a King’s Cup, a Supercup but also and above all an Asian Champions League. Over the past calendar year, the former OM player is the third best French scorer in the world, behind Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé.
Wednesday evening, Saint-Étienne, where Pascal Dupraz succeeded Claude Puel on December 14, 2021, travels to Angers in a late match for the 20th day.