Pierre Ekwah is continuing to boycott training at Saint-Etienne, as his anger at a move from Sunderland refuses to abate.
That’s according to Jeunes Footeux, who report that three months after ASSE exercised his purchase option to get him from Sunderland, Ekwah refuses to join the Saint-Étienne squad.
The 23-year-old midfielder does not want to play in Ligue 2 and has made that clear. He was unhappy that the clause to sign him from Sunderland was activated this summer.
The decision to pay €6m for him was made without prior consultation with him. He only discovered the transfer was happening after Saint-Étienne were relegated to Ligue 2. He had only initially agreed to stay if they weren’t relegated.
The solution would have been to sell him on and there were offers from Levante and Glasgow Rangers. Indeed, the Spanish club made two offers, a paid loan with an option to buy for €6.5m, then a €500,000 loan with an option to pay for €7m. Both were rejected by the French club.
Ekwah had a meeting with Saint-Étienne’s management on August 28th to discuss the situation alongside his representatives. Rather than a middle ground being found, both parties maintained their positions.
The former Sunderland man is refusing to move and will continue his boycott until he gets what he wants. The problem is that most transfer markets have now closed. Thus, the situation could continue until the January transfer window.
Disciplinary sanctions could be on the way, and there’s even claims that Saint-Étienne have hired bailiff’s to deal with any financial penalties imposed. It’s a huge mess, with the player clearly frustrated after leaving Sunderland this summer.
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