Enzo Bardeli, Ligue 2’s most decisive, shines for Dunkerque as contract end nears | OneFootball

Enzo Bardeli is driving hometown Dunkerque, the Ligue 2 midfielder leading the division for goal involvements with seven goals and three assists. With his deal running down, they visit Laval on Friday.

“I feel really good on the pitch, I try to give as much as possible for the club and my team-mates, and I think it is a pretty good start to the season,” he told beIN Sports last Saturday before facing Saint-Étienne.

Two hours later he matched words with deeds, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win with a neat right-footed strike. It was his seventh of the campaign and he does not take penalties.

Apart from a bench outing against Amiens after a three-match week, including a 6-2 on 27 September, he has started the other 15 league games and has been withdrawn only four times, usually with the result secure. He is considered one of the best in his position in Ligue 2, helped by a game plan that suits him. That has continued under Albert Sanchez after two full seasons with Luis Castro, when he played 70 of 72 Ligue 2 matches, starting 67.

A local product, Bardeli grew up in Coudekerque-Branche near Dunkerque, and began just three kilometres from Marcel-Tribut. He also passed through Lille’s academy.

Although he has often said he feels settled and fully invested at the club, interest in him remains and his deal expires on 30 June. He admitted last month he had wondered in the summer what was best for him, with a departure a possibility. Talks over a multi-year extension were said to have been close in the autumn, yet nothing is signed for now, leaving room for speculation with around three weeks until the winter window opens.

Source: L'Équipe