For Steve Mandanda, leaving Marseille for Crystal Palace was the right move. It was the one he’d wanted, hoping it would open the doors to a bigger club, all the while allowing him to play in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t to be.
Despite starting the first few games, an injury scuppered his first half of the season, and when he did return to full fitness, the manager who’d brought him in had long gone, replaced by Sam Allardyce, who clearly favoured Wayne Hennessey to the Frenchman.
From that point onwards, his future was sealed, and a return to Marseille was organised, much like Florian Thauvin’s move when things didn’t go right at Newcastle.
However, unlike the winger, Steve Mandanda’s form didn’t transcend itself, and he’s now being talked about as past it.
One of the reasons, according to both Elie Baup and Chelsea goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon, is the failed spell at Crystal Palace.
The former said to France Football: “It hurt him. An all but blank season at his age and with the status he had, it was hard for him to swallow.”
As for the Chelsea coach’s view: “His time in England hurt him. Scarred him. He now needs to verbalise this pain to exorcise it.”
The wording might be a bit extreme, but, all in all, Mandanda’s performances this season haven’t been what the Stade Vélodrome crowd are usually accustomed to, and it’s shown.
Add on top of that the fact Rudi Garcia took the armband away from him and gave it to Dimitri Payet instead, and it’s not been the best of returns for the Frenchman.
