Arriving in the administrative offices of the Stade Malherbe where he was preparing to initial his two and a half year contract, Djibril Diani did not fail to greet his ex-educator, Fabrice Vandeputte. “We gave a little hug”, testifies, affectionately, the person in charge of the Caen reserve. The two men met at RC Lens where the last recruit of the “Rouge et Bleu” was trained. “I had him for three seasons with me because he was outclassed in U17. At the time, he was also playing with the reserve of Eric Sikora”, says the technician who led the U19 “Blood and Gold”. “We reached a Gambardella final (in 2016) together. We lost against Mbappé’s Monaco. The following year, we were in half. It creates links. I remember that I went to pick him up in a mini-bus at school or during a training course to go to training “.
By joining the rest of Stéphane Moulin’s group, in training until Thursday in Fougères (Ille-et-Vilaine), the now n ° 28 of the SMC has also found some former … opponents: Yoël Armougom and Jessy Deminguet. “They are from the same generation. They are all 1998. Djibril also knows Hugo (Vandermersch)“. The right side having for a long time evolved in the North, its region of origin. “Djibril is a good kid. He has a good frame of mind, he is hard-working. With him, there is never a problem”, underlines Fabrice Vandeputte for whom RC Lens “still had to ask himself the question of offering him a pro contract”. But the native of Créteil was part of an excellent generation including the current Strasbourg resident Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
He’s coming out of a full half-season with the Grasshopper
And in terms of football? What memories does he have of this defensive midfielder / torchbearer, left-handed, which reaches a height of 1.95 meters? “Physically, Djibril has great physical qualities, a big MAS. He runs everywhere, all the time and for a long time. He is powerful”, describes the weed control coach. An athletic profile perfectly adhering to the precepts of Stéphane Moulin. A technician from Caen who also wanted “a box-to-box midfielder, capable of doing 40 meters with the ball”. For the coach of the “B” of the Norman club, Djibril Diani – also passed by Livingston, in Scotland – has all the qualities for. “Djibril is able to bring offensively, able to go with the ball to the feet, to throw himself forward, to break the lines …”.
On this point, our columnist, Stat Malherbe, is more nuanced. “He’s a player who wins many defensive battles on the ground and in the air. He is useful in building play to secure possession by favoring short play, on the ground, but rarely forward. this is not a box-to-box profile “. Whether at Ornano, for subscribers, or in front of their TV, “Red and Blue” supporters will quickly be able to form their own opinion. Barring a last-minute administrative incident which would delay the qualification of his new recruit, Stéphane Moulin should be able to count on her from this weekend, for the reception of Niort (J20. January 8). Unlike some reinforcements landed in recent months at SMC short of form, Djibril Diani comes out of a full half-season with the Grasshopper of Zurich, in Swiss D1 (15 appearances including nine starts – 834 ‘of playing time).
Ranking on 11,538 axial midfielders having played more than 600 min in 2021
Win many challenging duels on the ground and in the air
Useful from the construction of the game to secure possession by favoring a short game on the ground & rarely forward
Doesn’t have a box to box profile for me https://t.co/zlJ0rZEOh6— StatMalherbe (@StatMalherbe) January 4, 2022
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