Saint-Etienne Player Was Mistaken For Security Guard After Turning Up 20kg Overweight
A Saint-Etienne player was mistaken as a security guard after reportedly turning up 20kg overweight when he signed.
Joris Gnagnon has signed for the French club on a free transfer after his contract with Sevilla was terminated in September.
The Andalusian outfit had brought him in from Rennes in 2018 but he only made 17 appearances for the club.
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His deal was ripped up last year as Sevilla had serious issues in regards to his discipline and physical fitness.
Saint-Etienne made a move for him a couple of months later but the 25-year-old was not in good condition upon his arrival at the club.
According to Le Parisien, via Mundo Deportivo, Gnagnon was so out of shape that one teammate genuinely thought he was a security guard when he turned up at training.
"He was very plump", was the remark made by one player after seeing Gnagnon.
A teammate mistook Joris Gnagnon for a security guard after he arrived 20kg overweight when signing for Saint-Étienne 🤯 pic.twitter.com/iM8R95Bniy
— AFCON 2021 🌍🏆 (@birdiefootball) February 2, 2022
#ASSE #N3
— Poteaux Carrés (@poteauxcarres) January 30, 2022
Les Verts reçoivent les Hauts-Lyonnais. L'occasion de voir Joris Gnagnon sur le terrain.
Le match est à suivre en direct sur https://t.co/Ccigyg77v5 pic.twitter.com/hYfEbV37As
🇨🇵 Joris Gnagnon llegó con 20 kilos de sobrepeso al Saint Etienne.
— La Sevilla Futbolera 🟢⚽🔴 (@LaSevillafut) February 2, 2022
😳 Se dice que un compañero de equipo comentó que al principio lo confundió con un guardia de seguridad porque "era muy regordete".
Vía: @GFFN pic.twitter.com/sN54sCPWxS
The centre-back has apparently improved his fitness in recent times and played in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
He is still yet to make his first appearance for the club, who are struggling down at the bottom in Ligue One.
Gnagon hit headlines for the wrong reasons in 2019 when he produced a horrendous and cowardly tackle on Liverpool youngster Yasser Larouci.
The left-back was then stretchered off the pitch and "lucky" to avoid a serious injury according to manager Jurgen Klopp.
Virgil van Dijk went out of his way to confront the player at full-time and condemned his actions in the mixed zone.
He issued a statement apologising for the tackle and called it "a heinous act on my part".
Josh Lawless