Eliot Matazo, a midfielder for AS Monaco, may have played his final game for the Ligue 1 team, according to information that Rangers boss Philippe Clement may find interesting.
Before joining AS Monaco in 2018, the former Belgian youth international under Philippe Clement’s management rose through the youth ranks at Anderlecht. It is said that he is “not satisfied” with the lack of prospects in France.
That’s according to the French publication Nice-Matin, which reports that after Eliot Matazo heals from a thigh injury in January, he would be available for a loan or permanent transfer.
According to the article, this implies that the midfield player’s last game for AS Monaco may have been the team’s 3-2 victory over Olympique Marseille at the end of September.
Ibrox supporters will be interested in the scenario as he is expected back in January, which is just in time for potential suitors to make a bid. Given the dearth of midfield alternatives at Rangers and his connections to Philippe Clement, this will spark their attention.
Will AS Monaco lose Eliot Matazo?
This season, the defensive midfielder for AS Monaco has only made six appearances and played a total of 95 minutes without a single start.
Eliot Matazo hasn’t played in recent weeks due to a thigh issue, but the Belgian is finding things challenging at AS Monaco because of the increased competition.
At the Stade Louis-II, Matazo looks to be in the middle of the pack, with players like Mohamed Camara of Mali and Denis Zakaria of Switzerland ahead of him in the standings.
We’d be shocked if this youngster, who has made 17 appearances for the Belgian U21 team, wasn’t having conversations with fellow countrymen Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen about his circumstances.
Particularly because Ecuadorian international Jose Cifuentes, Scotland’s Ryan Jack, and fellow Belgian youth prospect Nicolas Raskin are all sidelined for Rangers due to injuries.
Links to Philippe Clement, the Rangers manager
Although there is now no formal connection to Rangers, Philippe Clement collaborated with Eliot Matazo when he was AS Monaco’s manager.
The former Club Brugge manager in France last season regularly started games for the Rangers, making 29 total appearances, 16 of which came from the start of games. The manager is well aware of this player.
Furthermore, Eliot Matazo was given a three-year contract extension when Philippe Clement was still at Monaco, and the fact that he would be bound to the Ligue 1 team until 2026 could be a problem.
Paul Mitchell, Sporting Director of AS Monaco, stated that the midfield player has all the “necessary skills” to reach the “top level” of football after he was given his new contract.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement has acknowledged that the club’s injury problem will have an impact on any transfer activity, so it’s definitely one to watch ahead of the transfer window.
“Yeah we take (injuries) into account,” said Clement. “You need to take that into account.
“It’s more about players and how available are they for the club so that’s going to be important in making good decisions also.”
Eliot Matazo – who wears the number 8 jersey in France – has made 77 appearances for AS Monaco since breaking through into the first team back in September 2020.
There might be one thing which holds back any interest however – Philippe Clement claims he’s apprehensive to build a “Belgian colony” in the southside of Glasgow.
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