The French Ligue 1 is a cradle of talents of which many young players have shot to prominence before moving on to greater heights. Terem Moffi might just be the next in line.
FC Lorient forked out €8m for the services of the Nigerian last summer. The striker joined from K.V. Kortrijk where he enjoyed a brief but successful spell.
Moffi is proving to be a good value for money for Les Merlus. He announced his arrival with a goal on his Lorient debut back in October against Reims but fired blanks in the subsequent nine league matches he featured in.
The left-footed forward has found his shooting boots again and at a crucial stage of the season. He has found the back of the net five times in his last six games.
All five goals came in a five-match scoring run, which included a late winner against PSG last weekend. Running through PSG’s half before calmly slotting home, Moffi demonstrated remarkable composure to net the winner.
With Lorient fighting for survival, he is slated to play a key role if the newcomers are to retain their top-flight status.
The Ligue 1 has forged a reputation for producing top young talents over a number of years, players who are then sold for vast sums of money.
More so, it is a league where a number of African stars, past and present, made a name for themselves. A league where a certain Victor Osimhen stared for Lille before sealing a record transfer to Napoli last year.
Moffi is only starting to make a name for himself. But the 21-year-old has undertaken a rather unconventional route to reach this level.
Four years back, Moffi had his first professional stint with FK Kauno Žalgiris in the Lithuanian division.
He spent the whole of 2018 without a club due to visa issues before securing a deal with FK Riteriai in 2019, another Lithuanian club where he made his breakthrough, scoring 20 goals in 29 official matches for the A Lyga side.
The move to Belgium with Kortrijk followed in January 2020. He did not disappoint, scoring 4 goals in his first 9 matches before the league was halted in May due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moffi is repaying the faith shown in him by Lorient. He has room for improvement and with time, he will only get better.
In Ligue 1, ‘the league of talents’ where stars are made, he is in the perfect place to develop his skillset and reach the next level. Keep an eye on this kid.
