Blackpool supporters are reeling from the news that their leading goalscorer, Armand Gnanduillet, has played his last match for the club.
To make matters worse, the French striker is set to depart the club on a free transfer. The striker confirmed on Instagram that he will not sign another contract with the Seasiders. His current deal expires at the end of June.
Blackpool’s Leading Goalscorer Armand Gnanduillet to Leave Club
Armand Gnanduillet Did Leave Before – For a Few Weeks
Gnanduillet has been at Blackpool for four-and-a-half years, having been signed by then manager Gary Bowyer. Originally, he joined the Seasiders for an undisclosed fee from Leyton Orient in August 2016.
He briefly left Bloomfield Road in July 2018 when he signed for South African side Baroka FC. However, he never officially registered as a Baroka player as the club had exceeded their foreign player quota. He would re-sign for Blackpool just a few weeks later.
Since then, he has represented Blackpool through the turmoil of the supporters’ boycott. This saw his goal-scoring exploits mainly witnessed only by fans watching EFL Highlights on Quest.
In total, Gnanduillet has scored 43 goals in 145 league and cup appearances for Blackpool, finishing the past two seasons as their leading goalscorer.
Thankfully, for the returning Blackpool supporters, he saved his most prolific season for his last, as he netted 18 times for the club. His impressive tally was just from 36 league and cup matches due to the early ending of the EFL League One season.
Gnanduillet confirmed his departure on his Instagram account, where he posted to thank the Blackpool supporters.
“Yes, during the four years playing for Blackpool it’s been a blessing, an honour and a pleasure for me and I can not thank God enough for the chance – I had to express myself under this shirt!” he posted.
“Veni, vidi, vici, it’s time for me to say goodbye…all the best for the future and once again – thanks y’all!”
Future Destination
There will be no shortage of clubs looking at Gnanduillet, especially as transfer funds are likely to be reduced at most clubs. This is due to financial cutbacks caused by the loss of income stemming from the COVID-19 crisis.
One club who could be looking at him is Charlton Athletic, who last summer had a reported six-figure bid rejected by Blackpool. Although, whether Gnanduillet will consider them, could depend on Charlton remaining in the Championship. Currently, they are in 22nd position ahead of the planned resumption of their season on June 20th.
Should Charlton be relegated, then it is less likely that Gnanduillet will join a club in League One. That said, this week saw the Addicks taken over by a consortium led by Paul Elliott. One would expect a cash injection could lead to a higher than average League One budget, should relegation happen.
Gnanduillet was also linked to Derby County ahead of the last transfer window. At the time, Blackpool still harboured hopes of promotion and publicly stated that they did not wish to sell.
It’s a decision that the Seasiders might now regret. The one definite is that Blackpool have a big gap of an 18-goal scorer to fill ahead of next season and without the help of a transfer fee.
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