Three Girondins players, central defenders Laurent Koscielny and Paul Baysse, as well as Algerian midfielder Mehdi Zerkane, were sidelined from the professional group, we learned from the Bordeaux club on Tuesday. Badly in L1 where they occupy 17th place, the Girondins seek to downsize their workforce and reduce their payroll. And as a first measure, they dismissed their 36-year-old captain Laurent Koscielny, whose performance had been deemed insufficient since the start of the season.
A flagship rookie of the former GACP owner in 2019, the former Arsenal player has the club’s biggest salary with the option to extend his two-year contract by June. Victim of two injuries this fall, Koscielny has played only 11 matches in 19 days. Positive for Covid-19 during the holidays, the ex-Gunner remained on the bench last Friday once morest Marseille (0-1).
For his part, Baysse, 33, is done with a serious knee injury contracted last spring which has kept him away from the field since. In resumption for a few weeks, this player trained at the club and under contract until 2024 does not enter the plans of the club in the scapular.
Other players affected?
Finally, 22-year-old Zerkane, who also has a two-and-a-half-year contract left, has played filler this season with six appearances (77 minutes in total), the most recent dating back to October 3 in Monaco. The Algerian international (1 selection), who had played 27 matches in L1 including 17 as the holder last season, was also invited to find a new club. Baysse and Zerkane will now train with the reserve.
These sidelines, which might relate to other underperforming players or that Gerard Lopez’s club wants to sell (Nigerian winger Samuel Kalu, Brazilian midfielder Otavio, England striker Josh Maja), come a few days later. the historic defeat at home once morest OM and a few hours following a press release from the Ultramarines.
The main group of Bordeaux supporters demanded “strong reactions” from their club and “to put order by removing those who are no longer worthy of wearing the Gironde jersey (…) We expect the current management to do so. take all the necessary measures to change the course of history because it objectively leads us to disaster ”.
In addition, Bordeaux, which has the most permeable defense of L1 with 44 goals conceded, plans to strengthen the technical staff of Vladimir Petkovic, maintained for the time in his post despite his record (3 wins in 20 matches).
According to L’Equipe, the name of the former Lyon international Grégory Coupet, 49, who occupies the post of goalkeeper coach in Dijon (L2), is circulating on the side of Haillan.
