Everton defender Niels Nkounkou has insisted he does not know what the future holds as his loan deal at Saint Etienne comes to an end.
The full-back has been speaking to Onze Mondial about his future today after a successful loan spell with the French side in the second half of this season.
He moved to Saint Etienne in January after an unsuccessful loan spell at Cardiff was brought to an end and Everton elected to send him back to his homeland for regular playing time.
He’s found that and something extra, establishing himself as a star man at Saint Etienne with six goals and eight assists in 18 league games so far.
That’s set up an interesting summer for him as Saint Etienne have an option to turn his loan deal into a permanent one for €2m at the end of his loan deal.
That is something they are keen to take up, with a report yesterday even stating that they would buy him and then immediately sell him on for double the price.
“As I’ve always said, my mission was to come to Saint-Étienne to help the club stay up,” he said.
“That objective has almost been achieved. I’m not really thinking about my future. First of all, I want to finish the season well, collectively and individually. After that, depending on my performances, we’ll see what the future holds for me.
“I need to be good every weekend. After that, I’ll think about whether I should stay at Saint-Étienne or sign elsewhere, bearing in mind that I belong to Everton. I’m not getting worked up, I’m just concentrating on the pitch.
“We’ll see what happens. I don’t know if Saint-Étienne have my option to buy. By showing what I’m showing in L2, it makes me want to test myself at the next level.
“But are any clubs interested in my profile? We don’t know. That’s why I’m not getting worked up. If Marseille are looking for a left-back, good for them. Personally, I want to finish at Saint-Étienne, and then we’ll see.”
