Arriving at Lazio in the form of a loan with a compulsory purchase option under certain conditions, Samuel Gigot (31) is finding good colors in Italy. While his departure from Olympique de Marseille was accompanied by some controversies regarding salary requirements, but above all regarding destinations. He was one of the Marseille lofters who gave Pablo Longoria a hard time. The French defender had received a great offer from Trabzonspor but also from Stade Rennais, both advantageous which he never wanted to follow up on. After several weeks of radio silence, several Italian clubs including Torino and Lazio took up the matter and it was the Biancocelesti who won: “SS Lazio announces that it has acquired on a temporary basis, with an obligation to repurchase upon the occurrence of certain particular sporting conditions, the right to the sporting performance of footballer Samuel Gigot of Olympique de Marseille. The French defender will wear jersey number 2.was written in the official press release published on August 30.
Being a former OM player and finding a smile again at Lazio seems to have become a repetitive idea in recent years. After the rebirth of Nuno Tavares and Mattéo Guendouzi, it is Samuel Gigot who begins to touch the heart of all fans, starting with the people at the club: “Have you seen how good Nuno Tavares is? He’s an excellent player! Now you will see how good Samuel Gigot is”the president of the club, Claudio Lotito, even got excited. However, everything did not start under the best auspices for the former rock of Spartak Moscow. Arriving slightly injured in the last days of the summer transfer window, Marco Baroni did not immediately offer him his chance. Gigot had to work to regain good physical condition.
His season is finally launched!
He had to be champing at the bit for many weeks, but little by little, Samuel Gigot is reducing the defensive competition. Coming on at half-time against Bologna this weekend to replace the injured Alessio Romagnoli, the French defender opened the scoring for his team with a fantastic header. Marco Baroni announced that his turn would come: “Every decision is driven by the need to keep the team’s performance level high. Gigot is a strong player: he was captain of Marseille, he has a great personality. Today he is healthy and will find more and more space on the pitch. He can bring his great contribution to the team, also in terms of personality and presence», Explained Baroni in the Radio Anch’io Sport show on RAI Radio. With only six appearances in the league this season, the Avignon native has struggled to recover from his injury. Indeed, his entire pre-season with Lazio had been marked by shoulder rehabilitation which had hampered his integration into the Biancocelesti group.
Authors of an exceptional start to the campaign (5th in Serie A with nine victories in 13 days / 1st in the Europa League with four victories in 4 days), Marco Baroni had been somewhat cautious about the idea of touching his defensive rotation since Alessio Romagnoli and Mario Gila put together great performances. Note that Samuel Gigot had still started twice in C3, during victories against FC Porto (2-1) and FC Twente (0-2): “I am delighted for Samuel, he brings immense character and charisma to this team. His feedback is invaluable. Adapting to a new league is a journey for players, requiring time and an understanding of different preparation and game management styles. Once players find their feet, their development can be exponential», Also declared the Italian coach recently on Sky Sport Italia. There is nevertheless total confidence in Gigot. From management to staff, everyone believes in him and the former OM player takes advantage of every minute to show himself.
