Mendy almost moved to La Liga side Celta Vigo before the closure of the transfer window, however, the move ultimately fell through. The Turkish window closes later and Trabzonspor made a move for the Angers midfielder, who excelled individually last season, despite the club’s relegation to Ligue 2. 

Despite initially rejecting a move to Trabzonspor, Mendy reconsidered the move, and the transfer has now been completed. The deal, which was completed on Saturday, is reportedly worth €5m. Mendy made 76 appearances over the course of a two-year stay at Angers. 

Trabzonspor have also completed the signing of Nicolas Pépé. As reported by sources contacted by Get French Football News, Arsenal will receive €3m for the former Lille OSC winger, who spent last season on loan at OGC Nice. 

Zinedine Fehrat, who has been a free agent since the expiry of his contract at Alanyaspor, has moved to Angers, signing a two-year deal with the Ligue 2 side. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Mendy almost joined La Liga side Celta Vigo,  however, Angers’ last-minute demands saw the deal fall through with a lack of time to complete the deal before the closure of the transfer window. However, the Turkish transfer window remains open until 15th September. Trabzonspor made a move for the midfielder and even came to an agreement with the Ligue 2 club, however, the player himself turned down the move, stating that it was “too early” in his career to make such a move. 

The French midfielder has changed his mind just days later. Mendy has now flown to Turkey in order to undergo his medical ahead of the move. The deal which will see Mendy join Trabzonspor will be worth around €5m, according to L’Équipe. Mendy has started in two of Angers’ Ligue 2 fixtures and came off the bench in a 2-0 victory over Paris FC over the weekend.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

The 23-year-old is under contract with Le SCO until June 2024 and has been the subject of intense interest from Turkish 1st division side Trabzonspor, who have had a multitude of proposals knocked back.

The player himself was not convinced about a move to Turkey, rejecting Trabzonspor formally on Wednesday.

Celta Vigo’s transfer business is being orchestrated by Luís Campos, who is also the Sporting Coordinator at Ligue 1 title holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Celta have poached from the French football market already once this summer, signing 27-year-old Franco-Ivorian winger Jonathan Bamba from Ligue 1 side Lille on a free transfer after his contract with LOSC expired.

Angers have struggled to convince Batista Mendy to remain at the club following their relegation to Ligue 2 last May.

GFFN |

Lille and Angers had previously struck a €4.5m agreement for the signing of the former Tottenham Hotspur man. Ligue 1’s Medical Commission eventually agreed to greenlight the move in those last few days after additional medical tests were undertaken.

https://twitter.com/losclive/status/1696101291297005935

Bentaleb has signed a three-year deal with Paulo Fonseca’s side. The Lille-born Algerian midfielder will wear the #6 jersey with his new side. Lille were in the market for a midfielder following the departures of Everton loanee André Gomes and Jonas Martin. Lille are also set to part ways with promising defensive midfielder Carlos Baleba, who will have his medical at Brighton today. The Seagulls and Lille have shaken hands over a €27m fixed fee excluding bonuses for Baleba.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

With Angers going down in Ligue 2, the 28-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur man was expected to part ways with Le Sco. Lille, one of his formative teams who are in need of reinforcements as they’ll play UEFA Europa Conference League this coming season, have quickly pounced and struck a €4.5m deal with Angers. Personal terms were never an issue as Bentaleb was born in Lille.

However, problems arose during the player’s medical last week. Speaking this Thursday to L’Équipe, Lille CEO Olivier Létang confirmed that complementary exams were needed to greenlight Bentaleb’s move to Les Dogues. “We are waiting for the results of those additional tests. It’s a mandatory process in Ligue 1. There are elements related to Ligue 1’s Medical Commission.“

Lille have previously announced the arrivals of Portuguese left-back Tiago Santos and of Icelandic midfielder Hákon Arnar Haraldsson.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle man joined Angers midway through the 2021/22 campaign and has been a regular in the team. He turned down several offers from abroad this past winter transfer window, seeing out the season with Angers amid a tumultuous season on and off the pitch for the club.

According to L’Équipe this afternoon, the 28-year-old – who is under contract for another two years with Angers – is closing in on a move up north to Lille, in what would be a return to his hometown and one of his formative teams. Les Dogues, who will play in the Conference League this coming season under the guidance of Paulo Fonseca, are expected to pay out a transfer fee which could reach a total of €4.5m.

That ban, though, has now been temporarily lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport pending the team’s appeal. Les Scoïstes have announced that their request for the ban to be suspended for the time being has been accepted, and indicated that the decision is “fundamental for the coming season”, which they will spend in the second tier.

Chetti joined on a free transfer after terminating his contract with the Tunisian side – he was subsequently sentenced to pay his former side €970,000 and banned from football for four months, while Angers were not allowed to recruit any new players for the next two windows.

The left-back has now been dismissed by the club in any case, after being handed a four-month suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to an instance of sexual assault back which took place in a nightclub back in December. When reports of the legal proceedings first emerged in March, then-Angers manager Abdel Bouhazama stunned his players with a team talk that appeared to downplay the events – “It’s nothing nasty. We all touched girls before”. He later left the club.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin  

The Spaniard had dedicated this all-important victory to the Nantes fans. “Despite the hard season we’ve had, they were there all along, even in the toughest times.” Chirivella’s contribution can not be understated. He was arguably Nantes’ best player in the first half. How Les Canaris have missed their central midfielder lately. Chirivella had announced two months ago that his season was over through injury, but he returned to give his side a helping hand, even if it meant playing through the time for only an hour or so. “You can’t imagine how hard it was not to be able to help the team for those last months. Fortunately, I took the decision to return.“

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

The hosts got on the front foot early on, launching themselves into tackles with the energy of despair. After good work from Samuel Moutoussamy down the left, Ludovic Blas laid it on a plate for Marcus Coco, who missed a golden opportunity to go 1-0 up with a half-volley. For what looked like the first time in months, Nantes were playing as a team again, but individual brilliance as still on show. Blas made a mockery of Angers’ defence with dribbles aplenty before finding Ignatius Ganago who lashed home emphatically.

Nantes kept mouting pressure on Yahia Fofana’s goal, but their final touch let them down. The hosts had a late scare in the first half when Abdallah Sima found the back of Alban Lafont’s net, but he was called offside. Testament to Nantes’ newly-found togetherness, and to Angers’ poor quality, the visitors had no shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

When news spread around La Beaujoire that 16th-placed Auxerre were losing 2-0 at home, Clément Turpin awarded a penalty to Nantes after a contact between former Southampton man Yan Valery and Ganago. The referee was called to the VAR screen and changed his mind. Although Nantes were dominating proceedings, they still only have a fragile one-goal lead. From the hour mark, Angers enjoyed more of the ball as Nantes seemed exhausted and hesitant on what to do, with their fate on the line.

Buoyed on by a bouncing Beaujoire, Nantes eventually held on to their lead despite a truly poor second half. Auxerre’s loss meant Nantes had escaped from a Ligue 2 relegation. Les Canaris did not miss their appointment with destiny. They remain in Ligue 1.

Nantes player ratings

Alban Lafont 5

João Victor 5

Jean-Charles Castelletto 6

Andrei Girotto 5

Charles Traoré 5

Pedro Chirivella, 6 – How Nantes have missed the former Liverpool man. The Spaniard’s anticipation, awareness and his eye for a pass have proved vital. The fact he is playing through the pain is even more impressive.

Samuel Moutoussamy 7 – The captain has admirably shouldered his responsabilities and proved invaluable to Nantes’ pressing and hold-up play.

Marcus Coco 5

Ludovic Blas 7 – His ability to create goal-scoring opportunities out of thin air, like he did for Ganago’s opener, will be dearly missed by La Beaujoire. Could have produced even more if not for his somewhat erratic decision-making.

Quentin Merlin 6- The France U21 international’s switch from left-back to left-sided midfielder has proved a masterstroke. The Nantes youth product bombed forward with ease and plugged gaps all evening to exhaustion.

Ignatius Ganago 6 – He didn’t have many opportunities, but he may well have scored Nantes’ most important goal of the decade in ensuring they kept their Ligue 1 status.

Angers player ratings

Yahia Fofana 6

Yan Valery 4

Miha Blažič 4

Abdoulaye Bamba 4

Nabil Bentaleb 6

Batista Mendy 4

Halid Šabanović 4

Pierrick Capelle 5

Himad Abdelli 4

Abdallah Sima 4

Sada Thioub 3

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

After a horrific campaign, Angers are already relegated to Ligue 2. The club have won only four games in Ligue 1 all season and have a meagre 18 points. They are guaranteed to finish bottom of the table, regardless of what happens in the final game of the season. 

However, speaking to Courrier de l’Ouest prior to gameweek 37, Abdelli revealed that there is no shortage of motivation at Angers, as they look to bring Nantes down with them. 

“We want to bring them down with us. We’re already in the hole, so we may as well put another team in it, especially since it’s a rival,” said Abbelli. 

Only 82 kilometres separate Angers from Nantes. The relegation of the latter is in the former’s hands. Les Canaris have to win on Saturday and hope that other results go their way. AJ Auxerre face RC Lens, but Le Sang et Or have nothing to play for having already guaranteed second place. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle