Sète striker Andy Delort returns to Montpellier to replace Akor Adams

Andy Delort, de retour à Montpellier, est recruté pour redynamiser l'attaque des Pailladins. Midi Libre – RICHARD DE HULLESSEN

Trois ans et demi après un départ controversé, le Sétois, prêté par le Mouloudia Club d'Alger, s’apprête à effectuer son retour à Montpellier, qui a transféré Arnaud Nordin à Mayence

The hour of forgiveness sweeps away the aborted returns. Separated for three and a half years, Montpellier and Andy Delort settle their mutual differences and prepare to meet again to live a second experience against the backdrop of the race to stay up.

Delort (33 years old) is loaned until the end of the season by the Mouloudia Club of Algiers, joined in September, to take the lead of a Montpellier attack, lacking efficiency, and the place of Akor Adams, transferred Monday to FC Seville.

The Sète native, who spent three years at Montpellier (2018-21), was Montpellier's priority prospect beyond the smokescreen of Wissam Ben Yedder, the former Monaco striker offered to MHSC. If he passes the medical, he should play against Lens on Friday at La Mosson.

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For three seasons, the centre forward, most often associated with his accomplice Gaëtan Laborde, carried the Hérault attack, but also the banner of La Paillade. He scored 40 goals in 95 Ligue 1 matches and provided twenty assists to establish himself as a sure bet in the championship.

Strong header

In the summer of 2021, President Laurent Nicollin, who had taken a gamble to get him out of a deadlock in Toulouse, gave him a comfortable salary and the captain's armband, encouraging the iconic defender Vitorino Hilton to retire. While Laborde was given an exit voucher, Delort gave in to the call of Nice coach Christopher Galtier. And headed in confusion towards Nice.

Since his departure, Montpellier has suffered from the absence of leaders. Today, Delort returns to revive an attack (20 goals), where the Nigerian Akor Adams had difficulty in making people forget Elye Wahi, and to revive a locker room, not always in harmony since the Mamadou Sakho affair in October 2023. With his strong character, his legitimacy and the trust of his former teammates and managers, he can ease multiple tensions.

Forced to deal with the departures of Adams, but also of winger Arnaud Nordin (26 years old), transferred Tuesday to Mainz (Germany), Montpellier is therefore renewing its attack. Thus, the young player from Puy-en-Velay Nicolas Pays (21 years old), one of the architects of the Hérault humiliation in the Coupe de France (4-0), will complete Jean-Louis Gasset's squad.

Close to Savanier

Delort, for his part, is returning to the garden of his childhood dreams on the verge of the end of his career. At 33, does the centre forward still have all his legs to express his potential, which requires a lot of energy? ? And won't he need a little time to find his rhythm again after spending the last two years in Nantes, Umm Salal (Qatar) and Algiers? ?

Between his emergence in Caen (2015-16) and his arrival in Hérault, this great globetrotter had already lived two years between doubt and false direction.

Has Delort's return slowed down the temptation of playmaker Téji Savanier to leave Montpellier? ? Approached by the Saudi club Al-Taawoun, according to various media, the child of the Gély estate (33 years old) threatened to leave but should extend his career at La Paillade. To find his faithful accomplice.

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