Adam Gueddar. This name probably means nothing to you and yet, only a few years ago, European football was snapping up this young talent. Trained in Caen, the player, now 18 years old, decided to leave Normandy for Amiens, which offered him a more interesting contract than the competition. OM were also interested and Nasser Larguet, training director at the time, wanted to get him back and even met his entourage. But Amiens had offered the best contract because the player thus had the guarantee of being able to sign professionally automatically from the age of 16. A deal for Amiens and its sporting director John Williams who was recovering one of Caen’s biggest talents, but also for the player who hoped to launch his professional career. Brilliant with the Amiens U19s, then called up to the French youth team and Morocco U17s, Adam Gueddar wasted no time in making a name for himself in Europe and that’s when his career changed. , illustrating the enormous excesses of football.
At this time, in 2019, the former Caen player had offers from Ajax Amsterdam, Atlético de Madrid as well as Juventus. The sporting director of Amiens John Williams, renowned for being a divisive figure, negotiated a large sum and therefore rejected Atlético de Madrid (which only offered 500,000 euros), but also Ajax Amsterdam. No matter, Adam Gueddar only wanted to join Juventus who offered 1.7 million euros at the time and was therefore preparing to leave. “I was still supposed to resume summer preparation with the professional group in Amiens, but John Williams refused, citing a risk of injury. He didn’t want to take the risk of derailing my transfer. He told me “imagine you get injured, it won’t be good for the deal”, tells us Adam Gueddar. Except that at this time, the Italian team was busy with the big transfer of Matthijs de Ligt (85 million) and the player’s entourage asked Amiens to quickly complete this file. Finally, the transfer was canceled because John Williams, who had ensured that everything was completed, was not able to send the documents before midnight. A huge blow for the player, 16 years old at the time, who therefore remained in Amiens. “I was in Spain when I learned about this. They told me it was good. And every week, I was told that it would be good the following week. They were making the signing wait so John Williams would get more money. Three days before the end of the transfer window, he told me that he was sending me the paper so that I could sign. We waited, no response for several days. And 20 minutes before the end of the transfer window, John Williams finally sends me a message to tell me that it won’t be possible. And he tells me it will be good this winter. I was very upset because I had lost time and Amiens had done the preparation without me as a result. When I signed for Amiens, it was to leave at 16, it was not my first choice. I wanted to join the basic OM.”
Identity theft
The start of a break with his club and especially his agents at the time… Because the big problems began at that time for Adam Gueddar. After the 2019 transfer window, the contract linking Adam Gueddar to his agents ends. At least normally. “His former agents re-signed a 3-year contract with the usurpation of the father’s signature. The image agent recovered Adam Gueddar’s rights until 2034 at his home during a meal by having the father, who could not read or write well, sign it., tells us a source close to the player. After which, Adam Gueddar, disturbed, continues to play with the Amiens reserve and his “agents” push to send him to Lecce while his family tries to break the contract which was not desired. Amiens and its sporting director John Williams maintain good relations with these agents in question who have several players in Lecce and Amiens. Finally, wanting to leave Amiens, Adam Gueddar agreed to sign for Lecce in Serie A with a very disadvantageous contract. “By being an aspirant at Amiens, he earned more than at Lecce when he was a professional there. In the contract, the player’s parents were also to receive a certain amount in the event of a professional appearance (20,000 euros), but this never happened. At the time of the transfer, John Williams asked the father to urgently sign the Lecce contract otherwise he would not play football again. It was blackmail. And when the family arrives in Lecce, the contract is different again. In the end, he signed for 100,000 euros…”details this same source.
Regardless, for his part, the player hopes to at least launch his sporting career. But, once again, nothing went as planned. Because the extra-sporty has once again taken precedence over the sporty. Despite several good performances, including a decisive goal against Fiorentina in the Primavera, Adam Gueddar is left out of the team this season. “Even in training, I was no longer allowed to be with the group”, says Gueddar. The reason ? The player finally managed to break the contract binding him to his former agents and is now represented by lawyer Hakim Kebila, sports representative. “For a long time, agents called Lecce and Amiens pretending to be his agents and retrieved private information. Lecce gave the information without even checking the mandates”, tells us an internal source. And the first excesses with the Italian club began to intensify. After learning that his parents had serious health problems, Adam Gueddar wanted to return to France urgently. A request refused by his club and while he leaves anyway, Lecce forgets to pick up the young midfielder at the airport who will end up sleeping there. Then, Adam Gueddar is completely sidelined by Lecce.
The obligation to shave your head
“When I got there, I thought it was going to be okay. I’m starting the championship and I’m making good entries. Then suddenly, I disappear. So I go to my coach and ask him what’s wrong. He tells me I’m great then changes the subject. He avoided the subject by making me understand that it was coming from up there. And this sidelining corresponds to the moment when I cut contact with my former agents after learning that they had usurped my father’s signature., explains Adam Gueddar. Another episode subsequently scandalizes the family. Upon his arrival in Lecce, the former Amiens player was forced to shave his hair. Although he has long curly hair, the club explains to him that he must cut his hair to respect the club’s rules. A new incomprehension for the player who must also take his own accommodation afterwards since Lecce refuses to allow him to be with the other players in the center. “I got along well with all the players, plus there were French people too. No one understood why I wasn’t allowed to be with them. They were forbidden from speaking to me.”
Faced with all these failings, his lawyer Hakim Kebila finally managed to break the contract with Lecce who did not want to risk paying a large sum of money if the case went to court. At the age of 18, and after his nightmare experienced in Italy, Adam Gueddar has been free since October. “This story made me a little disgusted with football, because I saw the true face of this world. It’s just business. When I talked about football when I was little, people told me it was fun. But no. Now I don’t want to make the same mistake as in Lecce. I want to wait for a good project where the club wants to take me, because they want it. I’m free anyway… But I train every day, I hired a fitness trainer and I’m motivated to quickly find a club”he concludes before giving his objectives. “For the future, I am open to everything in Europe, except Italy (laughs). But I learned a lot there, these stories shaped me. I hope I can play football now”. At only 18 years old, this young nugget trained in Caen still has time to climb the slope and finally confirm all of her talent. But his story perfectly illustrates the excesses of football around young talents. Free, it is now time to make up for lost time.
