That the summer of 2017 seems far away for Jean-Michaël Seri. By shining at OGC Nice, which he joined in July 2015 from Paços de Ferreira, the Ivorian midfielder became one of the revelations of the Aiglons, who showed a very good face in the league at the start. ‘era. Indeed, the Gym finished one step from the podium during the first season of the native of Grand-Béréby (Côte d’Ivoire) before climbing to 3rd place at the end of the 2016/2017 season. A good period for the Riviera team, well helped by its excellent recruitment with the arrivals of Younès Belhanda, Mario Balotelli and Valère Germain among others. After only two exercises in the red-and-black jersey, the winner of the 2017 Marc-Vivien Foé prize was in the sights of several major European teams who saw him as a superb reinforcement for their midfield.
Among them was FC Barcelona, led at that time by the newly appointed Ernesto Valverde. Nevertheless, the Catalan sports management had finally dropped the case, which the Elephant had explained in the columns of France Soccer some months later : “Even if it’s Barcelona, I don’t want to be a default player. I know what I am capable of on the field, I believe I demonstrate some qualities. So if I get picked, I want it to be a full pick, for me to be a priority, not a complement player. That’s why I got back to football right away. I dreamed a lot of Barcelona, but the message from Barca was clear. After justifying this non-transfer for technical reasons, the Blaugranas finally set their sights on Brazilian midfielder Paulinho for 40 million euros.
Craven Cottage does not suit him
“I just want to show Nice that I stayed because I love this club, not out of spite. And if I leave Nice one day, it will necessarily be for a team that plays ball, that plays football., he continued in his interview with FF, before leaving the Côte d’Azur against 30 million euros for Fulham, promoted to the Premier League and author of an XXL transfer window (more than 115 M €). Becoming the biggest recruit in the history of the club, the Ivorian international was expected to allow the Cottagers to maintain for his return to the elite. Nevertheless, his team had not lasted long: a short season and a 19th place in the standings, synonymous with relegation to the antechamber. And from a personal point of view, JMS’ stats hadn’t stuck in the minds of the fans, scoring just one goal and providing 3 assists in 32 league matches. Not entering Scott Parker’s plans for the return to the Championship, he was forced to find a way out to glean playing time.
Jean-Michaël Seri first flew to Turkey, where he discovered the joys of the Süper Lig with a Galatasaray with great ambitions, with a transfer window that goes with it (Radamel Falcao, Ryan Babel, Emre Mor, Steven N’Zonzi …). He found under the yellow-and-red jersey a better level, alongside Younès Belhanda, whom he had already rubbed shoulders with in Nice, and Mario Lemina, on loan from Southampton. If this trio was successful on the green rectangle, the Istanbul Lions did not raise any trophies. After three months without a match in the Championship, he returned to France in January 2021, with the Girondins jersey of Jean-Louis Gasset, who played a big role in his arrival. Without real success for his return to Ligue 1 (0 goal, 0 assist), the former member of ASEC Mimosas had (finally) the chance to play a full season at the FFC, participating in his rise but without tasting the PL in the black-and-white jersey…
The Elephant has become a Tiger
Indeed, at the end of the contract last summer, the management of the Cottagers left Jean-Michaël Seri free as the air. But England were not done with him. His latest performances did not leave Hull City indifferent, another resident of D2 across the Channel, who offered him a three-year contract. Very quickly, Tigers supporters fell in love with their number 24, which has become indispensable in the devices of Shota Arveladze and his successor since October Andy Dawson. A key element of the double pivot of his English coach, the Ivorian midfielder is essential in the circulation of the ball for his team (89% of successful passes) and even allows himself to bring danger into the opposing area (2 key passes per match ). For the moment, he hasn’t had the opportunity to distribute an assist to one of his team-mates but has already found the net to offer his team an important victory against Bristol City at the end of July.
Alongside his tumultuous club career, the 31-year-old Elephant has not lost his status in the selection, whether under the orders of Ibrahim Kamara, Patrice Beaumelle or today Jean-Louis Gasset, who seems to appreciate the player he managed in Gironde. “What I can say about Bordeaux is someone who has a lot of potential and he is working very hard to achieve this goal. I am proud of him”, his coach told the Ivorian daily Linfodrome in July. Often aligned alongside Franck Kessié (FC Barcelona) or Ibrahima Sangaré (PSV Eindhoven) in the heart of the game, the former Aiglon brings his experience to an increasingly young Ivorian group and the desire to breathe new life into breath less than a year from the next African Cup of Nations, which will also be organized in Côte d’Ivoire. The opportunity for the Elephants to lift this trophy in front of their people for the third time after 1992 and 2015?
