From now on, you'll have to get used to seeing Karl Toko-Ekambi play in the red and black colors of Rennes. In troubled waters at Lyon since the beginning of the season, where he was no longer a fans favorite, the Cameroon international leaves the Gones for the Breton club until the end of the season. The departure of the 30-year-old striker was made official by OL via a statement on Thursday.
The two French clubs have agreed on a loan deal worth €1.5 million, to which a maximum bonus of €1 million could be added depending on Rennes' performance in the league and the number of games played by the Cameroonian striker.
KTE arrived at Lyon in 2020 from Villarreal. Since then, he has played 114 matches with Lyon and scored 38 goals in all competitions. But this season, the Indomitable Lion has a performance far from his usual standards. In 19 appearances in Ligue 1, he scored only 4 goals.
"I am attracted by the goal but especially by the group"
A drop in form that has exacerbated the tension between him and the OL fans. On January 14, after being whistled at and targeted by a banner in the stands inviting him to leave the club, he had let his anger explode by hitting a trash can in the tunnel leading to the locker room.
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🗣 Les premiers mots de 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝗸𝗼-𝗘𝗸𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶, nouvel attaquant Rouge et Noir ⤵️
— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) January 26, 2023
But all that is now in the past. At Rennes, he should find some serenity, confidence and efficiency. "Thank you to Stade Rennais F.C. for trusting me. I made this choice because I know the club, especially thanks to Florian Maurice with whom I had the chance to work at Olympique Lyonnais. I also know a lot of players. (...) You can feel a lot of complicity between the Rennes players on the field. Everyone plays for each other and I am very proud to be part of this project. I am attracted by the goal but especially by the collective and it is the strength of the Stade Rennais F.C. I liked the speech of the coach. I do not know him personally but the quality of his work is recognized. I am very happy to join his team," he said in a statement from his new club.
The men of Bruno Genesio travel this Friday, January 27 away to Lorient for the 20th day of Ligue 1. The opportunity to see Karl Toko-Ekambi play his first match with Rennes? Answer later today at 8 pm.
