Midfielder Pierre Ekwah was unaware Saint-Etienne were going to sign him permanently this summer, something which has now caused problems.
That’s according to Peuple-Vert, who cover the situation around Ekwah and Zuriko Davitashvili, who both want to leave the French club this summer.
They explain that Ekwah is a ‘delicate case’ after he was signed on a permanent deal from Sunderland following a loan deal last season.
Saint-Etienne have paid €6m to sign him permanently, exercising a clause in the loan deal agreed with Sunderland.
The problem is that his entourage are claiming that the player was not informed of this decision, something which appears to have annoyed him deeply.
Saint-Etienne deny this is the case but since the clause was lifted, Ekwah has not returned to the first team. The two parties are now separated and refusing to move.
The club, for their part, are remaining inflexible and refusing to let him leave on a free. His current deal runs until 2028. They’ve now raised the possibility of sending him to the reserves if the situation can’t be resolved.
Clubs such as Ipswich Town, Real Betis, Braga and Espanyol have explored the possibility of a move but haven’t stepped forward as yet. It’s a situation that will need to be resolved, though, with Ekwah seeming furious that his loan from Sunderland was made permanent in the first place.
