Everton youngster Niels Nkounkou has to prove he is ‘not just another flop’ at Saint-Étienne after only arriving in the January transfer window.
That’s according to journalist Laurent Hess, who believes that the player has joined a St Etienne squad that is ‘more like a Mexican army’ than a team at present.
Nkounkou joined the French side on loan from Everton midway through the January transfer window after cutting short a deal with Cardiff City, who he had been with since the summer.
He was a regular for the Welsh side but the move was deemed to be a failure and he was sent back to Goodison Park before being immediately shipped out on loan back to his homeland.
He’s made three appearances for Saint-Étienne in Ligue 2 since and won in his first game but has lost the previous two, losing 3-2 to Sochaux and SC Bastia.
Those results mean Saint-Étienne remain 19th in Ligue 2 and three points from safety, with plenty of criticism about the current squad.
Nkounkou hasn’t avoided that, with Hess warning he needs to prove himself quickly despite only arriving from Everton two weeks ago.
“And 10! At vengeful Bastiais after the “manita” of the first leg (0-5), the Greens conceded to Furiani their 10th defeat of the season (0-2), the second in a row after that against Sochaux (2-3) last Saturday,” he writes on But! Football Club.
“And the first for Lamine Fomba, their 6th winter recruit, who was making his debut in Corsica. Failed beginnings for the former Nîmes player, without impact, transparent, flowing with the ship.
“Shaken from the start, the Greens conceded two goals at the start of the second half, with a very restless Van de Kerkhov, far too much for poor Niels Nkounkou, who was even more struggling in Bastia than he had been against Sochaux.
“What to wonder about the player on loan from Everton, who will quickly have to show that he is not another flop in this Saint-Etienne workforce which looks more and more like a Mexican army.”
