Boubacar Traoré, Gauthier Hein and Habib Diallo fail to lift struggling Metz | OneFootball

Boubacar Traoré, Gauthier Hein and Habib Diallo returned to Metz to drive survival, but the bottom club are heading for relegation. Hein has fared the least badly.

According to L'Équipe, after Hein’s promising August 2024 comeback and immediate promotion, Metz doubled down last summer by re-signing Traoré and Diallo. They are eight points behind play-off side Auxerre, and Tavenot has criticised Diallo’s form with the World Cup ahead.

Traoré impressed in 2021-2022 despite relegation, earning a Premier League move, then returned on loan after a meniscus injury. He scored at Paris FC in a 2-3 loss on 31 August, but fitness problems from January left him on 19 league games with a 4.25 average.

Hein is Metz’s most decisive player with six goals and four assists in 23 outings, averaging 5, though two strikes were ruled out against Nantes. Despite three top-flight seasons with Metz and Auxerre, the 29-year-old has only shown flashes. He lost the captaincy in early February, then battled niggles, notably an ankle.

Diallo, 30, returned to acclaim in late August after spells with Strasbourg, Al-Shabab and Damac in Saudi Arabia. He has four goals and two assists in 21 league games, averaging 4.2. Soon after Senegal’s AFCON win he was made captain, a role ill suited to his quiet character.

He has 40 caps and nine goals for Senegal, but his return has not delivered the lift Metz needed. Hein’s homecoming may yet end in another relegation and a possible summer exit.

Source: L'Équipe