Mercato Mercato – Samuel Umtiti (Lecce): “I want to play, talk and eat football”

“I only want to play football, talk about football, eat football, that’s what drives me. I hope we will have a good season with Lecce“, underlined the ex-Lyonnais, aged 28, welcomed by jubilant supporters on Thursday evening, a few hours after the announcement of the Frenchman’s loan until June 2023. “Directly, I knew it was the club for me, they found the right words. (…) I am looking for a lot of tranquility and humble people to be able to work in complete serenity“, he added.

Umtiti was unwanted at FC Barcelona, ​​where he played just one game last season, in December 2021, in a season still plagued by chronic poor form and injuries, including a broken foot in January in training . Trained in Lyon, the powerful French defender joined Barcelona in 2016. Despite a fragile knee, he shone during the 2018 World Cup, notably scoring the winning goal against Belgium (1-0) in the semi-final. But he has never since returned to his best level, due to his recurring injuries.

(With AFP)