Cameroon’s players movement in Europe – Summer 2004 (II)

Samuel Eto’o’s ongoing transfer saga of course is the biggest news amongst Cameroonian player transfers. In fact it has turned into one of the bigger stories of the transfer season in all of Europe as it has evolved into a tug of war between Real Madrid and Barcelona for his services.

To try and simplify the tangled mess which is Eto’o’s transfer, Mallorca has accepted Barcelona’s offer of between 21-23 million euros for Eto’o and the player has agreed personal terms with Barca. Pursuant to the terms of Madrid’s joint ownership of Eto’o’s player rights, Madrid then has 7 days to either match the Barcelona offer or accept that it goes through and take their one half cut of the sale (10.5-11.5 million euros).

The problem, of course, is that Madrid already has too many non EU players and therefore can’t use Eto’o next year and has offered to loan him out next season which the player has refused to accept. He is even threatening to take the club to Spanish labor tribunals for obstructing his right to work. Sometime this coming week this twisted transfer tale will likely come to an end and we will learn where Samuel Eto’o will be playing this coming season.

Busy summer for Cameroon’s players

Meanwhile elsewhere in Spain it has been a busy time for Cameroon’s players. Goalkeeper Carlos Idriss Kameni was bought by Espanyol (the other team in the city of Barcelona) for a transfer fee of 555,000 euros from Le Havre of France’s Ligue 2. Kameni was recommended to the club by Espanyol’s goalkeeper coach Thomas Nkono so the young Cameroonian goalie will have the best possible mentor in Spain. Kameni is expected to challenge Belgian Erwin Lemmens as Espanyol’s starting goalkeeper.

While one Cameroonian enters Espanyol, it appears as if another has been given the green light to find a new team. Pierre Wome has been told by Espanyol’s new coach Miguel Lotina that he does not feature in the coach’s plans for the new season and that he is free to pursue another club. Wome, who is still recovering from the injury he suffered in training for the Indomitable Lions match with Cote d’Ivoire, has not been released but will be if he can find a new club.

Right/left sided midfielder Daniel Ngom Kome‘s contract expired at Numancia and he signed a new 3 year contract with Mallorca. Because Mallorca is still uncertain what will happen with Samuel Eto’o’s proposed transfer, and because they may exceed the limit of non EU players, it is widely expected that Kome will end up being loaned for the coming season. Two teams newly promoted to the Spanish First Division, Getafe (from suburban Madrid) and Numancia (Kome’s now former club) are mentioned as his most likely loan destination with Getafe being the more frequently noted. It is worth pointing out that Kome did not accompany Mallorca on their preseason trip to England so it does look very likely that he will be loaned out by Mallorca irrespective of what transpires with Eto’o’s transfer.

Samuel Eto’o’s younger brother David Eto’o, a 17 year old forward with Mallorca’s youth team, is expected to sign his first professional contract any day now with Mallorca. In order for him to gain experience, and again because Mallorca is approaching the limit of non EU players, David Eto’o is also expected to be loaned out this season with Second Division club Terrassa his most likely destination. Perhaps not coincidentally Terrassa is located near Barcelona where David’s older brother Samuel may end up this year.

In France, Cameroon’s right back Jean Joel Perrier Doumbe has been transferred from Auxerre to Rennes where he is expected to become the club’s starting right back. Elsewhere in France, two young Cameroonian players have made their way from the youth club to the professional team with 20 year old left defensive midfielder Henri Bedimo Nsame signing with Toulouse and 16 year old defensive midfielder Alexandre Song making his way onto SC Bastia’s roster. Bedimo Nsame is giving an impressive performance this summer, playing all Toulouse’s preparation matches as left defender. It’s also nice to know that Alexandre Song is Rigobert Song’s nephew.

Several Cameroonian forwards have also been on the move. U-23 team member Joel Tchami left Hertha Berlin’s amateur team in Germany for Laval of France’s Ligue 2. In Belgium, 1998 World Cup player Samuel Ipoua signed with St. Trond, in England another Ipoua, Guy signed with Doncaster Rovers (in the 3rd tier of English professional football.) and Jean Michel Tchouga signed with Lucerne of Switzerland’s Second Division.

Below is a list of all of the Cameroonian player moves we know of which have occurred this summer. In bold are the transfers which have occurred since our last update (note David Eto’o, who has not yet signed a contract is not included on this list):

France

Ligue 1
– Jean Hugues Ateba lb PSG (Nantes)
– Herve Tum fw Metz (FC Basel)
– Benoit Angbwa rb Lille (Nacional/Uruguay)
– Luc Michel M’Beng fb out of contract (Caen)
– Henri Bedimo Nsame mf Toulouse (first pro contract)
– Jean Joel Perrier Doumbe rb Rennes (Auxerre)
– Alexandre Song dmf Bastia (Bastia 2)

Ligue 2
– Eugene Ekobo mf Cretiel (Beauvais)
– Guy Ngosso dmf Sedan (Cotobsport/Cameroon)
– Frederic Minye cb Sedan (Bonamoussadi/Cameroon)
– Jean Jacques Ebentsi mf out of contract (Le Havre)
– Joel Tchami fw Laval (Hertha Berlin amateurs)

National
– Patrick Noubissie fb Roye (Sedan)
– Paul Claudel Alo’o Efoulou mf Sannois St. Gratien (Racing Bafoussam)

Switzerland

– Augustine Simo mf FC Aarau (FC Zurich)
– Samuel Ojong fw FC Thun (Neuchatel Xamax)
– Jean Michel Tchouga fw Lucerne (Concordia Basel)

Belgium

– Patrice Noukeu mf Mouscron (Geel/Div. 2)
– Guy Bertrand Ngon A Mamoun lw St. Trond (Al Arabi/UAE)
– Hans Eric Ekounga fw out of contract (Lokeren)
– Francis Ambane fw out of contract (Lokeren)
– Georges Mbida mf out of contract (Lokeren)
– Samuel Ipoua fw St. Trond (out of contract)

Germany

– Serge Branco mf out of contract (VfB Stuttgart), triallist at Queen Park Ranger (Eng. D1)
– Jean Paul Ndjoumeck cb out of contract (Borussia Fulda)

Spain

– Daniel Ngom Kome mf Mallorca (Numancia)
– Idriss Carlos Kameni gk Espanyol (LeHavre)
– Jacques Songo’o gk out of contract (Deportivo)

Portugal

– Rudolph Douala fw Sporting Lisbon (Uniao Leiria)

Turkey

– Rigobert Song cb Galatasaray (Lens)
– Alioum Saidou mf Galatasaray (Istanbulspor)
– Emmanuel Effa Owona fw Ankaragucu (Elazigspor)

England

– Mathias Doumbe cb Plymouth Argyle (Hibernian/Scotland)
– George Elokobi df Colchester (1st pro contract)
– Guy Ipoua fw Doncaster Rovers (out of contract)

Scotland

– Gustave Bahoken df Livingston (Angers/France)

Romania

– Patrick Bengondo fw out of contract (Universitatae Craiova)
– Eric Biemme mf out of contract (Universitatae Craiova)

Martin COUTLER, martin@camfoot.com

ER