Lucien Agoumé with the Olympique de Marseille jersey. Here is an image that we could have seen this winter in Ligue 1. Looking for reinforcement in the midfield, particularly after the injury to Valentin Rongier, the residents of the Orange Vélodrome had set their sights on the player of Inter Milan. The latter only appeared with the Lombards once during the first part of the season. In fact, he spent 5 minutes on the field during the match against Salernitana on September 30 (4-0 victory). Then, nothing more.
The French midfielder no longer had a single crumb to eat. Obviously frustrating for a young man of 22 years old who needs to play a series of matches to gain playing time and confidence. What he was able to acquire during his loans to La Spezia, Brest and Troyes last year. This winter, both the Frenchman and Inter decided that it would be better for him to go on a new loan. This is where Pablo Longoria and the Phocaeans showed up. Problem, they weren't the only ones there. Ajax Amsterdam and Sevilla FC pushed behind the scenes to recruit him.
He chose Seville rather than OM
But OM was hopeful, especially since an agreement was close to being reached. But ultimately, the Olympians decided to throw in the towel in the face of the player's uncertainty, who ultimately preferred to join Andalusia on January 10. “Sevilla FC and FC Internazionale Milano have reached an agreement for the loan, with option to purchase, of Franco-Cameroonian midfielder Lucien Jefferson Agoumé”, could we read on the press release. On the other hand, the Italian club kept a buyout clause to possibly recover the player in the future.
Launched into his new adventure, Agoumé subsequently explained his choice. “There have been contacts with Marseille, but we have been talking for a very long time with Sevilla, with Victor (Orta, sports director, editor’s note). The decision was easy, even if I have a lot of respect for OM. It was the best decision. I'm very happy to be here, it's a huge opportunity for me. I already know some French players, like Nianzou, Soumaré, Badé… Integration is easy like that. The teammates made the first days here easier for me.”
Soon to return from injury
A few days after his arrival, the 22-year-old played his first minutes in the Sevilla jersey. It was January 21 against Girona. He had played 14 minutes (5-1 defeat). Then, he started for the first time against Osasuna on January 28 (58 minutes played, 1-1). He returned to the starting lineup on February 5 against Rayo Vallecano (81 minutes played, 2-1 victory). A meeting where he was good according to Ivan Vargas, journalist for fichajes.com. “Against Rayo, he was good in midfield, even if he didn’t have a spectacular match either.”
Unfortunately, the native of Yaoundé joined the infirmary due to a thigh injury. Absent for 35 days according to the specialized site transfermarkt, he missed 5 matches of his team. But according to our information, he has resumed training and his return is hoped for soon, perhaps after the international break. The objective will be to find the pitch and playing time for Agoumé, whose future will have to be resolved at the end of the season. Sevilla believes in him and is waiting to see how the rest of the season will unfold. For his part, the player is very happy in Andalusia, we were told. To be continued…
