Great Article in French Football Weekly:
http://frenchfootballweekly.com/2014/09 ... ys-warriorAfter four years of leading the defensive line at FC Lorient, Gabon international Bruno Ecuele Manga has left for pastures new, making the trip across the channel to join Championship side Cardiff City.
It will surprise many on-lookers that the 25-year-old centre-back has opted to move to England’s second division, rather than waiting for a Premier League club to declare their interest, but full credit has to go to the Welsh side for securing a player who had been linked with Arsenal, Everton and Southampton over the last few years.
The deal was reported to be for around €6 million, and it follows Lorient’s business plan of buying players cheap and, once they have added value to the Breton side, selling them on for a profit.
Outside of the more attractive clubs in Ligue 1, Ecuele Manga has been one of the league’s most impressive defenders over the past few seasons. His style of play looks ready-made for life in England (/Wales), and Cardiff will unlikely regret their decision to make a move for Lorient’s captain.
Ecuele Manga never backs away from a challenge. Putting him up against the biggest and strongest attackers in Ligue 1 seems to motivate him further. Commanding in the air, composed on the ground and no stranger to a few crunching challenges, he is everything you want from a Premier League defender.
Last season, only 11 defenders in Ligue 1 made more clearances than Ecuele Manga, only two players in the whole league blocked more shots than the warrior-like defender and he was in the top five for interceptions.
It sums up Ecuele Manga perfectly: he does everything he has to do to get his body in the way. Whether it is to cut out a pass, stop a shot or close down a defender, Ecuele Manga puts his body on the line.
He is a born leader, and over the four years he has spent at Lorient, he has become a legend at the Breton club. When Ecuele Manga is on the pitch, his teammates walk with their heads held that little bit higher as they know he has their back.
In the tough and no-nonsense world of English football, Ecuele Manga’s game and abilities are perfectly suited to how football is played in Britain.
However, there are some reasons why Premier League clubs may have stayed away from Ecuele Manga this summer:
Being the captain of Gabon, there is a big chance that he will guide his country to the African Cup of Nations tournament this January. Qualification for the 2015 AFCON tournament begins this weekend, with Gabon taking on Angola and Lesotho this week. Any successful campaign would see Cardiff go without their new signing for a large number of games, at an important part of the season. Gabon wouldn’t be expected to go far, but there would be time before and after the tournament when he wouldn’t play.
BEMPSG
That could be one reason why Premier League scouts let Ecuele Manga escape their grasp; the other reason would be his knee. FC Lorient started the 2012/13 season with an away game against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes. It was also the debut of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Les Merlus started like a team possessed, they took the game to the Parisians and going into the second half they were holding on to a surprising 2-0 lead. Ecuele Manga had spent the first 45 minutes with Ibrahimovic in his back pocket, the Swedish striker struggling against the defender’s strength and determination.
Unfortunately in the 46th minute the smiles were wiped off Lorient faces when Ecuele Manga fell to the ground in obvious pain. His removal was a killer blow for Lorient, PSG came back, and with two goals from Ibra, the home side stole a point.
Tests revealed that the defender had completely ruptured the medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament of his right-knee. It would keep him out of action for five and a half months.
After returning in January of 2013, Ecuele Manga has gone on to make a full recovery. He played 16 more games that season and then started 35 games in the 2013/14 season.
He did, however, miss a week of action due to his knee back in February, and it has become a cause for concern. When speaking to a Premier League scout regarding the Gabon defender, it was one of the reasons why the jury was still out. In a season that includes an AFCON tournament, the question was raised about how many games a season he would miss.
It wasn’t until Lorient sold Laurent Koscielny to Arsenal for £10 million that they became better known on the English side of the channel. London-based businessman Loic Fery is the club’s owner and he has an interesting relationship with the north London club. Gilles Sunu, Joel Campbell, Francois Coquelin and Jeremie Aliadiere have all played for both sides and Fery is known to be a keen admirer of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
When Koscielny made the move to London back in 2010, it was Ecuele Manga who Lorient signed to be his replacement. The defender had impressed in Ligue 2 for Angers, and although Premier League clubs had shown interest, the then 22-year-old knew his immediate future was to remain in France.
Many will see the €6 million that Cardiff has spent on Ecuele Manga as an absolute bargain, but there are risks on both sides.
The club will be hoping to perform and compete in the English Championship and win promotion back to the Premier League. That is Ecuele Manga’s goal too, and Cardiff have acquired the type of player who will do everything he can to make it happen.
For both to meet their goals, Cardiff needs Ecuele Manga to stay fit and healthy. He needs to play 30+ games to help adapt to his new surroundings and help influence the side as much as he is definitely capable of doing.
Lorient’s loss should be Cardiff City’s gain. Ligue 1 is losing one of its most dedicated defenders, he is a huge presence and there is no doubt that everyone involved in both Lorient and Ligue 1 will miss his never-say-die attitude.