Aurélien Tchouaméni: “If I helped Bordeaux survive through my transfer, that’s great.” | OneFootball

Speaking to beIN Sport, former Bordeaux midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni (22) said that he still follows his former side intently, adding that he is happy if his transfer to Real Madrid ultimately saved the club from relegation to the National division.

According to RMC, Bordeaux landed a windfall of €6m from Tchouaméni’s reported €100m move from Monaco to Real Madrid this summer. The move came at a time when Bordeaux were in deep financial trouble. Already relegated to Ligue 2, they faced a fight with the DNCG, French football’s financial watchdog, to remain there.

On potentially saving his formative club, he joked, “I did everything for [Bordeaux]. Even when playing against them last year, I took the red card to allow them to win the match against Monaco, but unfortunately for them, they could only manage a draw.”

He continued, “If I helped them financially thanks to my transfer, that’s great if it allows the club to survive. Like many football-lovers, I was scared [for them]. They are a figure of French football. In Ligue 2, they’ve limited the damage because when you were hearing about National, that was really scary. Now, I think they’re in the process of restructuring the club and so I hope they can go back up as quickly as possible.”

Asked if he sees them getting promoted this season, he replied, “Yes, I see them going back up. They’ve had a great start to the season even without the new recruits. I think the new recruits will now bring even more.”