Christopher Baptista

Central Midfielder - US Creteil
25 Oct 2027
Monday
Process

Marked for Christopher Baptista

59 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

The terraces

Supporters organise against the US Creteil board

A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.

Market

The Sochaux deal is off

Everything was agreed until it was not, and Mohamed Ben Fredj reports back to US Creteil with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.

The dugout

Christopher Baptista says US Creteil went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Player ratings

Felix Mambimbi was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 24. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Squad

Tempers go at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

US Creteil come up short against Red Star

Red Star left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

A late step up for Alexandre Gricourt

At 24 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.

Squad

A row about effort at US Creteil

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Zakaria Belkouche was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

Nama Fofana gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

Back issues
55 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to US Creteil's wait for a win

16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at US Creteil has to find a result from somewhere.

The terraces

The mood at US Creteil has turned into something else

Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.

Squad

A fracture rules Arsène Elogo out for 46 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Creteil will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

The dugout

Felix Mambimbi: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” US Creteil have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

AJ Auxerre come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and US Creteil did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Transfer targets

US Creteil agree $2.7M for Noah Cadiou

The clubs have shaken hands with FC Lorient; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.

Market

Mohamed Ben Fredj has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around US Creteil they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

The terraces

US Creteil sell a favourite for $1.4M

The accountants will call it good business and they will be right, which is not the point anybody outside the boardroom is making. Ryan Bakayoko was one of the reasons people came, and $1.4M does not replace that by itself.

Market

Christopher Baptista hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what US Creteil can pretend not to have heard.

In brief

48 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

28 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

108 days out for Arsène Elogo after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. US Creteil will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 17 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 17 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Market

Mohamed Ben Fredj asks to leave US Creteil

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

US Creteil turn down Paris FC for Stephen Quemper

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Mohamed Ben Fredj is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at US Creteil is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

The dugout

Ryan Bakayoko: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” US Creteil have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Transfer targets

Lassine Diarra is a medical away from US Creteil

The deal with Olympique Lyonnais is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.

Squad

Rodrigo Ramos is a better footballer than he was

Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 23 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.

Squad

Ahmad Ngouyamsa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Creteil this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

47 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

The terraces

Anger at US Creteil spills outside the ground

It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.

Squad

Arsène Elogo breaks a bone — 118 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 118 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 25 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 25 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Tempers go at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Transfer targets

OGC Nice tell US Creteil: Salis Abdul Samed is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

Squad

Felix Mambimbi signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Felix Mambimbi and US Creteil agree another 3 years.

In brief

46 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

$3.8M — a new record at US Creteil

No footballer has ever cost this club more, and the number will be read out every time he misplaces a pass for the next two years.

Market

US Creteil sell their best player to Angers SCO

$4.5M is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.

Squad

125 days out for Arsène Elogo after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. US Creteil will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Christopher Baptista

35 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. US Creteil lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Market

Mohamed Ben Fredj has said yes to Sochaux

The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. US Creteil have lost him in all but the paperwork.

The terraces

Supporters turn on the $4.5M sale of Gaël Nsombi

He is going to Angers SCO, the club has $4.5M it did not have on Friday, and the phone-ins have already decided how they feel about that. Selling well and selling somebody they loved are not the same skill.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Michel Mboula

US Creteil asked and FC Metz said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Squad

Words exchanged at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Transfer targets

US Creteil baulk at the price for Kelvin Dongopandji

Stade Rennais wanted more than $120.0K and the board would not go there. Walked away, for now, which in a transfer window means until somebody blinks.

In brief

45 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Arsène Elogo out for 135 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Creteil will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Boardroom

Marco Becker is the new US Creteil manager

“This is a club with real history, and I did not have to think about it for long.” The new manager takes charge with every slate wiped clean.

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 44 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 44 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Match

US Creteil sink to position 13

9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Market

US Creteil say no — this time

The offer from RC Lens for Ahmad Ngouyamsa was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Market

Ladji Traoré puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at US Creteil, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

A falling-out at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Ryan Bakayoko

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Transfer targets

US Creteil try to borrow Ali Youssef

FC Nantes have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.

In brief

44 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A fracture rules Arsène Elogo out for 142 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Creteil will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Christopher Baptista

52 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. US Creteil lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Market

Mohamed Ben Fredj puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at US Creteil, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Ahmad Ngouyamsa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Creteil this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Stephen Quemper

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The dugout

Christopher Baptista asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

43 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

The terraces

Supporters organise against the US Creteil board

A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 59 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 59 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

89 days out for Brandon Agounon after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. US Creteil will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

In brief

42 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

17 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 66 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 66 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

A fracture rules Brandon Agounon out for 98 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Creteil will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

The dugout

No hiding place for Alexandre Gricourt

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alexandre Gricourt, and the manager let it.

In brief

41 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

10 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The knee: Christopher Baptista out for 74 days

74 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. US Creteil lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

Squad

A fracture rules Brandon Agounon out for 108 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Creteil will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Match

US Creteil are in real trouble now

Position 13, 9 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.

The dugout

Axel Dauchy: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” US Creteil have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Boardroom

US Creteil still without a manager

9 days since the seat came open, a list of names doing the rounds, and nobody has signed anything. Every week this drags on the shortlist gets shorter.

Market

One of our own: Sébastien Benoit joins the US Creteil first team

Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Sébastien Benoit is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.

In brief

40 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Laurent Lambert is out at US Creteil

Four paragraphs on the club website, none of them about football. The board thanked him, wished him well, and had the search under way before the page went up.

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Christopher Baptista

82 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. US Creteil lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Market

Mohamed Ben Fredj hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what US Creteil can pretend not to have heard.

Boardroom

Stéphane Vincent steps up at US Creteil for now

“Somebody picks the team on Saturday. This week it is me, and that is as far as I have thought.” No promises were made in either direction, which is how these usually begin.

Squad

Ahmad Ngouyamsa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Creteil this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

news_h_severance_paid

news_b_severance_paid

The dugout

No hiding place for Axel Dauchy

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Axel Dauchy, and the manager let it.

The dugout

A clean slate for Ahmad Ngouyamsa

A new manager did not pick last season’s side and does not care what it looked like. Ahmad Ngouyamsa has taken that personally, in the best sense, and US Creteil are seeing a version of him the last regime had stopped seeing.

Squad

US Creteil have started building around Adrien Louveau

He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.

In brief

39 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

The terraces

Supporters organise against the US Creteil board

A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 89 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 89 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Tempers go at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

38 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 96 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 96 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Tempers go at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

The dugout

Stephen Quemper gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

37 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Christopher Baptista

104 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. US Creteil lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Match

Every point is an argument now for US Creteil

Position 13 and 9 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

The dugout

Abdessalem Boujenfa: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” US Creteil have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Ahmad Ngouyamsa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Creteil this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

US Creteil promote Robert Moreau from within

The academy exists for exactly this morning. Robert Moreau has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.

The dugout

No hiding place for Ryan Bakayoko

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ryan Bakayoko, and the manager let it.

In brief

36 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

5 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 111 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 111 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at US Creteil

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at US Creteil is running low.

Boardroom

US Creteil put Laurent Lambert on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Squad

A falling-out at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

The dugout

The manager's exit leaves Ahmad Ngouyamsa exposed

Every squad has men who were signed by a particular manager and men who were merely inherited. Ahmad Ngouyamsa is in the first group, and the man who wanted him here is no longer in the building.

Squad

The armband comes off Stephen Quemper

US Creteil will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.

In brief

35 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

The terraces

The mood at US Creteil has turned into something else

Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.

Squad

The knee: Christopher Baptista out for 118 days

118 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. US Creteil lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.

The dugout

Alexandre Gricourt gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

34 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

22 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A knee injury of the worst kind for Christopher Baptista

125 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. US Creteil lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.

Squad

19 days out for Romain Montiel after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. US Creteil will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Market

Mohamed Ben Fredj asks to leave US Creteil

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

The dugout

Zakaria Belkouche asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Gaël Nsombi story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gaël Nsombi signs something — a contract at US Creteil or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Squad

Ahmad Ngouyamsa called up by his country

A window away with the national side, and a shirt at US Creteil that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.

In brief

33 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

15 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 132 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 132 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Romain Montiel breaks a bone — 27 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 27 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

Every point is an argument now for US Creteil

Position 13 and 9 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

Squad

Ahmad Ngouyamsa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Creteil this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Ryan Bakayoko

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The dugout

Kévin Diogo has been promised minutes

A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Kévin Diogo has written the date down.

In brief

32 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Christopher Baptista damages knee ligaments — 140 days out

The words a physio says slowly. 140 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.

Squad

Romain Montiel breaks a bone — 34 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 34 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Boardroom

The caretaker keeps it: Laurent Lambert confirmed

A month of looking elsewhere ended where it started. He already knows every name in the building; the rest of it he now has to prove in public.

The dugout

Axel Dauchy keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” US Creteil may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Stephen Quemper signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Stephen Quemper and US Creteil agree another 2 years.

Squad

A falling-out at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

In brief

31 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

1 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

The terraces

Anger at US Creteil spills outside the ground

It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.

Market

Ryan Bakayoko asks to leave US Creteil

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Words exchanged at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

The dugout

No hiding place for Axel Dauchy

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Axel Dauchy, and the manager let it.

Market

Abdessalem Boujenfa is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at US Creteil has been clear about where Abdessalem Boujenfa stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Thomas Carbonero moves up the pecking order

Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at US Creteil than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.

In brief

25 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

14 matches without a win for US Creteil

The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around US Creteil are no longer polite ones.

Match

US Creteil sink to position 13

9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Transfer targets

Fee done, terms next for Ilyas Azizi

US Creteil and Toulouse FC have settled on $240.0K. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.

The dugout

news_h_frozen_out_of_the_side

news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side

Transfer targets

Zadig Lanssade due for a US Creteil medical

Everything agreed with LOSC Lille, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.

Squad

Ahmad Ngouyamsa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Creteil this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

US Creteil come up short against Red Star

Red Star left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Paul Argney

US Creteil asked and Le Havre AC said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

The dugout

Jérôme Mathieu: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑3, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

In brief

8 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Hugo Cointard is the hero from the spot

A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Hugo Cointard: 3 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.

Match

US Creteil through in the cup

A 0‑0 win over Olympique de Marseille, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Match

No end in sight to US Creteil's wait for a win

8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at US Creteil has to find a result from somewhere.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Brandon Agounon

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

A falling-out at US Creteil

Ahmad Ngouyamsa and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Player ratings

The kick that got away from Ahmad Ngouyamsa

Twelve yards, a goalkeeper guessing, and it still did not go in. He will take the next one, and every soul in the ground will hold their breath.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Romain Montiel

A mark of 7.87, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

The dugout

No hiding place for Christopher Baptista

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Christopher Baptista, and the manager let it.

Match

Honours even between US Creteil and AC Ajaccio

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

6 Edition

The US Creteil Herald

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Brandon Agounon was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 39. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Match

5 matches without a win for US Creteil

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around US Creteil are no longer polite ones.

Boardroom

US Creteil close the window on a squad of their own making

16 in and 0 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.

Transfer targets

No thanks: João Costa rejects the move

US Creteil had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Porto, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.

Transfer targets

No deal for Djibril Diagouraga at that price

US Creteil offered $850.0K; Paris FC said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Luck Zogbé

US Creteil asked and Stade Brestois said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Squad

Words at US Creteil training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Bakayoko is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Squad

A step back for Christopher Baptista at US Creteil

Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.

The dugout

Aboubacar Magnora gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief