Lens needs a favor from former striker Elye Wahi against PSG in Ligue 1 title race
PARIS (AP) — Lens is wishing for a big performance from club-record signing Elye Wahi against Ligue 1 title rival Paris Saint-Germain. The problem is he plays for another team. Still, Lens fans hope Wahi can help struggling Nice beat PSG on Saturday and do Lens a favor in the title race.
Leader PSG is one point ahead of Lens with played one game less. The signs are 23-year-old Wahi is finding the form that once made him among Europe's most promising young strikers and led to transfer fees totalling nearly 90 million euros ($104 million). Last weekend, he scored with a brilliant turn and lob from 40 meters for 15th-placed Nice against Angers, showing he's got his instinct and confidence back.
Three years ago, Wahi joined Lens from Montpellier for 35 million euros after scoring 19 league goals and turning down a move to Premier League side Chelsea. Although he was the player of the match against Arsenal in the Champions League, his form faded. Lens sold him to Marseille for 25 million euros the following season.
He didn't fit in at Marseille and — just 13 league games later — Wahi joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a five-and-a-half-year contract. The German club paid 26 million euros for Wahi, getting one goal in 25 games in return. Eintracht loaned him to Nice in January and so far he has four goals and an assist in seven games.
Key matchups Lens needs a morale-boosting home win against Angers on Friday. Having a smaller squad than PSG caused key players to look jaded in last weekend's 2-1 loss at Lorient. According to Opta statistics, Lens crossed the ball 58 times in the match — a record in European soccer this season — and did not score from one of them.