Lille blocked Raghouber's move to Valencia before Levante switch | OneFootball

Ugo Raghouber, 22, will contest his first Valencian derby on Sunday with Levante, against a Valencia who tried to sign him last summer until Lille blocked the move.

Valencia had earmarked the midfielder after his standout loan at Dunkerque, where he helped a second-tier side push for promotion to the top flight and reach the Coupe de France semi-finals, after an earlier stint at Le Mans. "Ugo is a spectacle. The best number six last season. It had been a while since I had seen a player break lines so easily, take up positions and hold a team defensively," said former team-mate Adrián Ortolá, speaking to Onda Cero in January.

Head coach Carlos Corberán and his staff felt he matched Valencia’s brief, a young pivot with potential who would not be too costly, and the club sounded out his entourage with favourable feedback.

Valencia proposed a loan but Lille, who hold his rights, refused, wanting to assess him up close after two consecutive loans. He did pre-season yet barely featured, totalling 63 minutes across two games, one in the league and one in the Europa League.

By January the stance shifted and Levante moved swiftly to bring him in for the winter window. New coach Luís Castro had worked with him at Dunkerque last season, requested his signing and Raghouber chose to reunite with the Portuguese.

Source: AS