Ivory Coast international Abakar Sylla has completed a permanent transfer from RC Strasbourg Alsace to Gaziantep, the Ligue 1 club announced on Friday. The 23-year-old centre-back departs the Meinau after a three-year spell that never quite lived up to the significant investment made to bring him to France.
Strasbourg paid Club Brugge a fee of €20 million to secure Sylla’s services three years ago. The deal represented a major statement of intent from the Alsace outfit, yet the defender found himself on the fringes of the squad under multiple coaches. Unable to establish himself as a reliable first-team option, he was sent out on loan during the second half of last season to FC Nantes. The spell proved difficult; the Loire side were relegated to Ligue 2, and Sylla returned to Strasbourg this summer facing an uncertain future.
That future now lies in Turkey. New manager Hugo Oliveira did not hand the former Club Brugge man a single appearance following his return, making a continued stay in Ligue 1 impossible. With six international caps to his name, Sylla will look to use his move to the Turkish Super Lig as a platform to revive a career that has stalled since his headline switch to France.
Strasbourg clear-out gathers pace
The Ivorian is the third defender to exit Strasbourg inside a week. Soumaila Coulibaly has joined Watford on loan, while Andrew Omobamidele has moved to Anderlecht in a similar temporary deal. The flurry of outgoings suggests a deliberate reshaping of the squad’s back line under the new regime.
The financial details of Sylla’s transfer to Gaziantep remain undisclosed. For the defender, however, the priority will be earning regular minutes and proving he can still perform at a high level after a frustrating chapter in French football.