Seko Fofana joining the Saudis is an upsetting lack of ambition for someone yet to finish Lens fairytale

Seko Fofana’s impending move to Al Nassr is another Saudi Arabian transfer that has not gone down too well at Football365 headquarters.

Obviously, Fofana is an Ivorian international who plays for Ligue 1 side Lens, so his transfer story has gone under the radar more so than Ruben Neves’ disappointing switch from the Premer League to Al-Hilal. But it felt important to dissect it and explain why it is a disappointing one for football fans.

To give some context, let’s take a trip down memory lane. In August 2019, Lens began their fifth consecutive season in the second tier of French football. Their campaign would end prematurely thanks to coronavirus, but they were granted promotion to Ligue 1 as they were second in Ligue 2 when 2019/20 was abandoned.

Staying up was the goal going into 20/21. Lens would make some brilliant signings that summer, including the arrival of Fofana, who played a key role in back-to-back seventh-place finishes.

Fofana was not the only signing who proved to be an immense piece of business. Lens also signed Jonathan Clauss and Loic Bade for free; Gael Kakuta – who scored 11 goals in 20/21 – on loan and then for €5million the following year; Paris Saint-Germain teenager Arnaud Kalimuendo on loan; and centre-back Facundo Medina for pennies. This shrewd summer helped lay the foundations for where Lens are today.

Bade and Clauss were sold for a combined €24.5m within two years of joining for nothing. Medina would become one of the best defenders in Ligue 1. Kakuta was ageing gracefully. Fofana was attracting interest from all across Europe as he became club captain after a single season at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

The Ivorian midfielder was linked with Arsenal, Newcastle United and PSG but would commit his future to Lens when he signed an emotional contract extension in August 2022. The announcement came as a shock to the fans when he appeared after a 5-2 home win against Lorient, which he missed due to injury, to put pen to paper.

Teary-eyed and proud to be Lens captain, Fofana was here to stay…until Saudi Arabia came calling 10 months later.

Three seasons after being a second division club, Lens managed to qualify for the Champions League. This incredible achievement would not have been possible if it wasn’t for Fofana, who scored seven goals and made five assists in 35 Ligue 1 appearances – although he had a helping hand from Medina, his defensive partner Kevin Danso and 2022 summer signings Brice Samba and Lois Openda. Les Sang et Or finished second, only one point behind champions PSG, who, as you know, have an unlimited budget and boasted a front three of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi.

You’d think Fofana would be very, very keen to stay at Lens and compete in the Champions League with them, given he has been there since day one of their newest Ligue 1 adventure. If he was to leave, it would have to be for an exciting project, and definitely for a team in Europe’s premier competition. But no, he is signing for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, who do have Cristiano Ronaldo, which is one of the very few justifications for joining them. Even that is a push.

Honestly, even a move to someone like Arsenal would have raised eyebrows. This is Fofana’s team, and with Openda also off, Lens could be next season’s whipping boys in the Champions League. This is not the fairy tale ending everyone had hoped for, except for Fofana and his bank account.

Fofana will not be on a shed load of money at Lens, but there does not appear to be any desire to use Al-Nassr’s interest as a method to achieve a higher wage. In fact, Lens have no chance of coming close to matching a Saudi offer. This transfer is clearly one where the player has gone for the payday and it shows how vulnerable clubs like Lens are when the sharks of the Middle East come calling.

The Saudi revolution has already convinced Wolves’ captain Neves to move despite his desire to play in the Champions League again, and Fofana’s decision is even more upsetting, especially considering he has never experienced continental football – unless you are counting the UEFA Youth League for Manchester City Under-19s. And at the age of 28, he may never experience it in his career, unless the novelty of having more money than you know what to do with wears off quickly.

There are justifications for Fofana’s decision to play with Ronaldo and Marcelo Brozovic, assuming the latter’s move from Inter is finalised, but this is another Saudi signing that has left a sour taste in our mouths. We are not angry, just disappointed.

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