2024-01-15 17:40:00
The Jaouen Hadjam file took a little longer than expected at Standard. The Franco-Algerian, who also aroused the interest of Marseille, should still set down his bags on the banks of the Meuse.
This might not have escaped the attention of the management of Standard: during his visit to Bruges, Ivan Leko tirelessly operated in 3-5-2. A tactical pattern already well established among the Rouches under Ronny Deila then Carl Hoefkens, and which should continue given the profiles present in the core and the first friendly games played during training.
One of the main strengths of the Blauw en Zwart in Leko sauce resided on the flanks. Throughout his two years in Venice of the North, his pistons did not stop the comings and goings from one rectangle to another and often made the difference with their volume of play, especially in big matches .
The head of employment
It is therefore not illogical to see him focus on this position upon his arrival at Standard. If on the right, Marlon Fossey corresponds to the expected casting, this is less the case on the left. Since the start of the season, it has been Moussa Djenepo who sticks to it, without much success. Having to constantly look behind his back, the Malian loses his spontaneity, the one that was his strength during his first visit to Sclessin.
One of the most consistent matches of the Standard season was this 2-2 draw won at Anderlecht in the Belgian Cup. One of the only ones where Djenepo was aligned higher, protected by a four-man defense. However, seeing him lined up once more as a piston by Ivan Leko is not in the realm of the impossible: we only have to remember dribblers like Arnaud DanjumaKrepin Diatta, Anthony Limbombe or Emmanuel Dennis that the Croatian has successfully aligned in this hybrid role.
But if he wants to make this flank one of his strengths once more, the new T1 of Rouches will have to count on players who are really comfortable with the role. It’s there that Jaouen Hadjam comes into play. And this, despite the warning from Landry Chauvin, coach of the French U20s who had Hadjam under his orders: “He is not a defender at heart” he declared to Ouest France. Normal, for someone who was first trained as an attacker. However, it was in a left-back role that he made his professional debut with the Paris FC in August 2020. Jaouen Hadjam was then 17 years old. Very quickly, he made his mark and played 40 Ligue 2 matches at the age of 19. “Physically, he is a very solid boy, very strong,” remembers René Girard, his coach at the time.
Enough to open the doors to the French U19 team, with whom he will compete in the Euro in 2022. A few months later, he took the big leap by signing for Nantes to compensate for his injury. Quentin Merlin, the usual holder, international U21. In his absence, the new recruit alternated matches as a left piston and as a full-back in a four-man defense.
Everything to gain at StandardIn Ligue 1, the former resident of the PSG training center (he spent a year there) quickly confirmed the potential seen at Paris FC. That of a left-hander who is not embarrassed with the ball and very comfortable when confusing the cards by dribbling towards the inside of the game. Sometimes even perhaps a little too much: “He must show more sobriety . Without taking it easy, he can tend to relax” explains René Girard.
Since Merlin’s return from injury, Jaouen Hadjam has become a reservist at Beaujoire. Which does not prevent him from having honored his first two selections with…Algeria at the start of 2023. Find playing time at Standard might therefore allow him to once once more come into play for coach Djamel Belmadi.
The operation (a loan with a purchase option valued at 1.5 million) therefore has everything to be a win-win. It will still take a little time to regain rhythm following a first part of the season without the slightest start in Ligue 1.
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