PROFILE | Moses Simon – Nantes’ difference-making dragster from Nigeria | OneFootball

Moses Simon endeared himself even more to Nantes fans when he applied a ruthless curling effort past Rennes’ Steve Mandanda after leaving Lorenz Assignon, Andrés Gomez and Azor Matusiwa in the dust to hand Les Canaris a Derby win against their bitter Brittany arch-rivals this December.

Simon’s burst of pace, lightning-quick feet and powerful hit left his teammates and Nantes head coach Antoine Kombouaré in awe. “To have the physical resources to pull this off in the dying minutes is impressive,” assessed the former PSG manager. “The dragster just passed through the defenders.”

Since he arrived at the Erdre banks in 2019, first as a Levante loanee, the 72-time Nigeria international has been a rather inconstant thorn for Ligue 1 defenses, delivering impressive highs but also reaching disappointing lows. Simon’s skillset is evident, but he struggles to perform at the highest level consistently, as evidenced by his poor output against the league’s top teams.

His style of play, as exuberant as it is, is also quite predictable, despite an excellent successful dribbling rate, only matched this season by Toulouse’s Yann Gboho, as per L’Équipe. Furthermore, his crossing ability leaves much more to be desired for a winger. The Jos-born No. 27 can also improve on his overall defensive play in providing support to his fullback.

Simon approaching end of contract

Simon’s serious left fibula injury, while on international duty with Nigeria’s Super Eagles against Mali in the final stretch of the previous campaign could have cast doubts on his ability to bounce back. It also prevented him from leaving a relegation-fighting Nantes team for a more ambitious side in the summer. Despite Nantes’ woes continuing, the 29-year-old stepped up to lead the line from the front wing in Kombouaré’s pragmatic 4-2-3-1 formation. Simon has logged four goals and five assists in 14 Ligue 1 games, topping Nantes’ charts for goal contributions.

Such a return at a still early stage of the season is a very promising sign for both Nantes and Simon. However, it remains to be seen whether Simon will perform regularly and help lift Les Canaris above the relegation zone for good. Will he also remain injury-free and pacy enough when age becomes a factor? Furthermore, it may very well be the last season for the Nigeria international with the yellow jersey considering he will enter his final contract year next summer. Still, the Nantes fans will always have that last-minute Derby-winning stunning solo goal from their diminutive –  5ft 6 in – dragster of a winger.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval