For RMC Sport, Emmanuel Lacroix, representative of young French striker Wilson Isidor (21), explains why his player decided to leave Monaco to join Lokomotiv Moscow.

It is a transfer which is a surprise. Courted by Angers but also on loan by Le Havre, Sochaux and Paris FC, Wilson Isidor has decided to leave AS Monaco to pursue his career in Russia, at Lokomotiv Moscow. The 21-year-old French striker signed Saturday in Marbella – where the Russians are training – a contract until 2026. His representative, Emmanuel Lacroix (Cracksman Sport Management) explains the reasons for this transfer.

The choice of Lokomotiv Moscow was unexpected when negotiations with Angers seemed advanced, what happened?

EMMANUEL LACROIX. First of all, we would like to thank President Chabane, who has done everything possible to bring Wilson to Angers SCO since last July. It is true that the discussions were very advanced, it remained for AS Monaco and Angers to find common ground on the terms of the transfer. Except that the media intervention of the sports coordinator (Laurent Boissier, editor’s note) clearly put doubts in the player’s head and did not help… It was at this time that Wilson asked us to renew contact with Moscow, to which we had previously answered in the negative.

The following is very simple. Wilson spoke with the coach (Markus Gisdol) and sporting director (Tomas Zorn) of Lokomotiv who explained to him that they played in a two striker system and that they only had one. That Wilson, due to his qualities of speed and his address in front of the but, was their number 1 choice and that playing in a team which has an average possession greater than 60% would allow him to express his qualities at best. It was after this exchange that Wilson told us: “I want to meet them.” Demba Ba, who is a student of Ralf Rangnick, is also moved to meet Wilson and his role was also instrumental.

the announcement of his transfer to Russia, we can read some criticisms of a choice that may appear to be financial…

I want to be very clear about this. For Wilson, only the ball matters. He quickly understood that by signing in Moscow, he would have the possibility of playing every week, in a “German” club in Russia, with a very high quality staff and with infrastructures to run the biggest European clubs. But above all and above all, a coach who wants it. Wilson made big financial sacrifices during his loans to Laval and Bastia Borgo. He refused this summer two extension offers from AS Monaco which allowed him to triple his salary. I’m going to trust you: when Wilson asked me to accept the meeting with Lokomotiv in Monaco, he didn’t even ask me what his salary would be in Russia. We know, from our experience, that this transfer will make people talk, but in life, there are two categories of people: those who make history and those who tell it. Wilson prefers to do it and we let others tell it.

So you are convinced that Wilson Isidor will win in Russia?

We are all convinced of the sporting project… Wilson has a tempered steel character. This choice will make him progress both on a human and sporting level and will allow him to attract, I hope in the future, big German clubs who follow the Russian championship a lot. Wilson has always wanted to play in Germany one day, a league that I think would fit his style of play perfectly.