In the face of rumors that have been swelling for a few days, and while the Violets welcome Auxerre this Saturday (9 p.m.) on behalf of the penultimate day of L1, the club has just communicated on the departure of four of its six players at the end of contract.
Dejaegere, van den Boomen, Dupé, Spierings. The effect of a bomb. Or not far. Via a press release, lapidary, posted on the Toulouse FC Twitter account at 3:44 p.m. exactly: “The Club confirms the departures at the end of the season of four of its Violets. Brecht, Branco, Max, Stijn, you have become legends of TéFéCé. A tribute, worthy of what you have accomplished, will be paid to you tomorrow evening (Saturday, editor’s note) At the end of the match. Supporters, be present.”
The Club confirms the departures at the end of the season of 4 of its Violets.
Brecht, Branco, Max, Stijn, you have become legends of TéFéCé.
A tribute, worthy of what you have accomplished, will be paid to you tomorrow evening at the end of the match. #TFCAJA.
Supporters, be present. pic.twitter.com/P6XbKse0bF
— Toulouse FC (@ToulouseFC) May 26, 2023
Finally, what all the purple people dreaded, happened. In negotiations for some since the end of last season, the flagship players of Tef at the end of the contract * in June will no longer be Toulouse next season. The negotiations were unsuccessful.
By all the feelings, in the end
However, President Damien Comolli had shown himself to be resolutely optimistic during two press conferences: first at the beginning of December assuring that “discussions existed for the four players in question”; then, two months later, claiming that the quartet wanted to stay “van den Boomen in the lead”.
Lapalissade: the longer it dragged on, the more the chances of seeing these leaders in the locker room and on the ground continue the adventure on the banks of the Garonne were dwindling. If the two Dutchmen, each aged 27, VdB and Spierings, aspired above all to another sporting challenge, and therefore were more inclined than the other end of leases to leave the Téfécé ship, for Dupé and Dejaegere, the surprise is considerable , let’s admit it: things have accelerated in the last days or even last hours.
Contract duration has stuck
Apart from the salary increase that goes with it, according to our information, it is above all over the duration of the contract that the talks have stalled with regard to the captain and vice-captain. First recruit of the RedBird era in the summer of 2020, Maxime Dupé (30) wanted to re-engage for 2 years plus an optional year when the leaders only offered him one season; relay from Garande then even more from Philippe Montanier who had entrusted him with the armband on his arrival, Brecht Dejaegere (31 years old), about whom Damien Comolli had confirmed that, once the crampons were hung up, the Belgian midfielder would like to stay in Toulouse (reconversion ?), also wanted to be part of the long term. Instead of a 3-year lease, it is also a single year that has been offered to the one affectionately nicknamed Bibiche.
Plus Healey, at least!
In short, that makes four major departures that will obviously have to be filled and to which we should add – it’s an open secret – at least the British center forward Rhys Healey, injured all season and who, in all way, had already come close to signing elsewhere in July. As well as the Greek torchbearer Theocharis Tsingaras, on loan from PAOK Salonika, whose fate is similarly sealed: he has never been able or able to win.
It’s starting to look like a big fuss; yes, this summer, the transfer window will be show on the banks of the Garonne…