It’s been a while since we’ve covered anything Max Gradel related, mostly because the Ivory Coast international isn’t contracted to AFC Bournemouth any longer.
Making his move to Toulouse a permanent one in the summer after a successful loan spell, the 30-year-old is enjoying another good season in the south of France, where he thinks he still has what it takes to make it at a bigger club.
Speaking to RMC Sport about his campaign so far, which consists of 10 league goals and five assists in 26 games, the forward was asked if he regrets ever going to Bournemouth, where he spent three years after a £9m move from Saint-Etienne.
He said: “No, no. It’s true that people today think I made a mistake, but I want to remind them that when I left, I wanted a deal after a great season (17 goals in 31 games). I’d gone up a level, but when the two parties cannot agree, that means we can’t continue together. I decided to go to Bournemouth because I wanted to return to England to play in the Premier League.
“Then you have to think that I returned to France after no longer playing for the Cherries because of a serious knee injury. Before that, I was playing and doing well, featuring most games. Everything started with the injury. I came back, I couldn’t play, and in England, everything happens quickly. Without my injury, I don’t think I would have come back to France”.
During his time at Vitality Stadium under Eddie Howe, Max Gradel made 62 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and picking up four assists.
This was his third club in England after spells with Leeds United and Leicester City, moving to France with Saint-Etienne in 2011.
