Terem Moffi has dismissed suggestions the pressure is now on him in the new French Ligue 1 season to prove he is not a fluke after he scored 15 goals last season for FC Lorient to escape relegation.
Three years after they were relegated to the second division, the French coastal club bounced back to the top league after Ligue 2 was prematurely suspended due to the Coronavirus Pandemic with Lorient top of the standings.
They then took a huge risk worth eight Million Euros to sign an unknown Nigerian striker Terem Moffi on account of an amazing run of goals in a dozen games with Belgian club KV Kortrijk.
Moffi justified the gamble with the goals that ensured they will again play in the French top flight for a second straight season, just as the 22-year-old striker made his Super Eagles debut against Cameroon and was named Lorient Player of the Season.
Today, Moffi will line up for his team’s first game of the new campaign at Saint Etienne.
Is there any pressure on you to do more than you did last season?
His reply is as direct as it is confident: “Zero pressure.”
Lorient are still one of the teams tipped to be relegated and again Moffi, now no longer that high-risk signing, will be expected to score the goals to keep them safe.
“I am focused on every game as it comes, I’m not setting any targets,” he told SCORENigeria
“But obviously I will be out there on the pitch giving my 100% and trying to score as many goals as possible to help my team to stay in Ligue 1.”
Moffi further told SCORENigeria that the biggest lesson he took from last season was how as a team you can meet your target.
“What I truly learnt last season was unity as a team,” he revealed.
“At the beginning of the season we had some challenges as a team, but we got ourselves together, found the right way to work together and achieve a certain goal.”
Pre-season for Lorient was already reassuring as they were unbeaten in five test games – three wins and two draws.
“Pre-season was good. We had a lot of hard work to do,” confirmed Moffi, who was the match winner in the final build-up match against fellow Ligue 1 club Angers.
“We had some games where we played well, but then it’s just pre-season, it is different from the league.”
Still zero pressure?
