His smile was that of a kid. That of a kid who could savor, only two minutes after his return to the lawns of France, his choice to return, in a certain way, to the house. Jorge Sampaoli to consider well “that it was a small risk to launch Cédric after his long period of inactivity” , the main interested party did not need 120 seconds to make him understand that he had a real slab by definitively shutting down the Lensois. And to top it off, technically, it was already caviar. His heel for Guendouzi, followed by a twenty-meter sprint combined with a perfect shot from the left. “It was beautiful to seeacquiesced afterwards the Congolese international, in the maze of Bollaert. I wanted to bring my stone to the building and it is chosen made. I entered the field with determination, with aggressiveness and I am lucky to have a beautiful ball from Mattéo which puts me well and allows me to concretize. After 2-0, the match is easier for us. » From a personal point of view, his introduction is in any case successful.

“All week the guys have been chasing me at the toro, that’s a great answer I gave them. Honestly, it’s a great group with very good guys in the locker room”Cédric Bakambu, a happy man

Sampaoli had planned the coup

Sampaoli dissects an entry on the scene of his new striker, well anticipated: “We thought his speed could give us something over 15-20 minutes and that was exactly the case. In this type of match it helps. He brought us a lot of joy and air too. » Signed for OM on January 13, the first, but nine days later after nine years of scarcity in Ligue 1 (in March 2014 with Sochaux), he was “difficult to dream better” for the neo-Olympian who had already set the tone during his presentation to the press a few days ago: “Ligue 1 is a high-level championship, which is respected. It’s normal to have doubts, no one is unanimous, but I know what I’m worth. »

Bakambu repeated in front of the microphones what could quickly become obvious to everyone: “As soon as I signed here I knew I had made the right choice. » The top scorer in the Chinese championship in 2020, landed free from Beijing Guoan and now linked to OM until 2024, will have to be aligned in different schemes to be certain of his place on the chessboard of an unbeatable team at the moment. away (five hits). With or without Milik; with one or two points, Sampaoli will have to refine and possibly reshuffle the cards. But his new guy in his thirties is already sending a message. His arrival on the shores of the Mediterranean is not synonymous with idleness. “All the week the guys have been chasing me at the toro, that’s a nice answer I gave thema Bakambu made. Frankly, it’s a great group with very good guys in the locker room. My integration was facilitated and I hope it turned out. »

From Bakagoal to Bakambut?

This will go through a form that needs to be refined. His trainer does it like “far from his physical level to face a championship like this” while hammering that he “We have to continue to work with him to bring him to his best state of form” . For Bakambu to fully endorse his Bakambut outfit. “I had said that in Kinshasa in the Congo they nicknamed me Bakagoal. Call me what you want here, but my first name remains Cédriche married. Now, the road is still long and we will see what tomorrow will bring. One thing is certain, I would have no regrets to have joined Olympique de Marseille and I am already very proud of it. » Before assuming his status as an experienced thirty-year-old: “We must not rest on our laurels. » It should not be on Cédric Bakambu’s program in the coming weeks.

By Florent Caffery, in Lens