This month of January 2023 looks like January 2022 and January 2021 at FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. Halfway through the winter transfer window, only one movement is worth noting: the loan of Samy Faraj to Paris 13 Atletico. A year earlier, it was Adama Niane who went to Dunkirk on loan. And again a year earlier, Nathan Zohoré who was going to Louhans-Cuiseaux for a few months. We must therefore go back to January 2020 to see the FCSM welcome a new player to its ranks during this transfer period.
2019 and 2020, very turbulent transfer windows
January 2019 and 2020 are special cases over the past ten years. In 2020, six FCSM players sign for another club. Three are on loan, Isaak Umbdenstock at ASMB, Rayan Senhadji at Béziers and Martin François at Villefranche. Lawrence Ati Zigi, who played in the 2022 World Cup with Ghanaleft Sochaux around this time, joining FC St Gallen and
Melvin Sitti was sold to Norwich but ended the season on loan in Franche-Comté. Finally, we must add Jason Pendant who leaves a little later, in March for the New York Red Bulls.
In the other direction, Sochaux welcomes Mehdi Jeannin, still present in the workforce three years later, and Amadou N’Diaye, on loan from Metz and who will only play five games in the Yellow and Blue jersey. The Ligue 2 season not coming to an end, stopped by the Covid pandemic in March.
The 2019 FCSM winter transfer window is special, in a dark season, where the club will fight to the end to avoid relegation to National. The Baskonia group dropped the FCSM in December 2018 and the following weeks were thus a great commotion in the Doubs. Leaving the club: Markus Pavic leaves, just like Ermedin Demirovic, Pylyp Budkivskyi, Nando Garcia, Josema, Einar Galilea and Madger Gomes, all out of loan. Nicolas Senzemba is on loan to Concarneau.
To fill these 8 departures, Omar Daf and his staff welcome 7 players. Yohann Mollo, Mohamed Sissoko and Franck Etoundi arrive, as do three loaned players, Cyrille Bayala (Lens), Hamza Sakhi (Auxerre), Christopher Rocchia (Marseille). And on January 31, a certain Gaétan Weissbeck signs for the clubwhich he would only join the following summer.
2018 is a very peaceful winter transfer window in Sochaux, only Faneva Andriatsima packing her bags, heading to Le Havre. During the previous three months of January, each time two players arrive. Yoann Touzghar and Mohamed Larbi in 2017, Yanis Mbombo and Hadi Sacko both on loan in 2016, Bruno Collaço and Moussa Sao in 2015. The latter becoming more than a year later the hero of FCSM in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France.
On the departure side, Bruno Collaço and Jérôme Onguéné left FC Sochaux at the end of the 2017 winter transfer window. No player left in 2016. While in 2015, Stoppila Sunzu, who arrived a year earlier, signed in China and Famara Diedhiou was loaned to Clermont. Where he was going to be a hit the following year by becoming top scorer in Ligue 2.
Has Sochaux signed a top player at this time of year in the past? An example is given by the case of Mickaël Pagis, who arrived in January 2001. But sometimes, this period of transfers also causes its share of bad news: in 2002, it was Camel Meriem who took over the management of Bordeaux.
While Le Havre, first in the championship in January 2023, has already announced its intention to strengthen, the FCSM stay quiet for the moment. And could loan other players before the end of January.
