News Focus
- Bastien Meupiyou says his first full season at FC Alverca has surpassed his hopes
- The French centre-back left Wolverhampton Wanderers to seek regular first-team football
- Clubs across Europe are tracking the 20-year-old defender after 32 appearances
- Alverca expect to receive a record transfer fee if they sell the former Nantes talent
Bastien Meupiyou grew up playing football in the Ile-de-France region. The young defender faced fierce competition every weekend. “Many players want to become professionals there. The matches are very tough. Everyone must give their best to succeed,” the 20-year-old told Get French Football News.
The France youth international admires William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano. Both stars came through the same competitive Paris area before playing for France. Meupiyou wants to follow their path. He started at FC Nantes and later joined Wolverhampton Wanderers. Now he is rebuilding his career at FC Alverca in Portugal.
Meupiyou has already played in three different leagues. He says each one teaches different skills. “The Premier League is very fast. Ligue 1 is very physical. Here in Portugal, we focus more on tactics and technique. I have learned something from all three,” he explained.
The defender needed more playing time. He found it difficult to get minutes at Nantes and Wolves. “I wanted a project where I could grow. Here in Portugal, I play a lot. I have gained good experience with 32 games this season,” he said.
His time at Wolves was short. He only played for their youth teams after they paid €5 million to sign him from Nantes. However, he trained with excellent players. “I worked with Nelson Semedo, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Mario Lemina and Pablo Sarabia. They are top professionals. Training with them helped me improve,” he recalled.
Alverca faced a big challenge this season. The club had 33 players leave and 35 new players arrive. Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr owns part of the club. The team simply wanted to avoid relegation from Liga Portugal. “At first, it was strange. We were all new players. We did not know each other. But we had a good season. We stayed up and did even better. It has exceeded my expectations,” Meupiyou admitted.
The secret to their success was team spirit. “We showed solidarity. Everyone worked hard for their team-mates on the pitch. The start was not easy, but we never gave up. We always kept fighting,” he said.
The club uses a trading model to find and sell talented players. They send scouts to Brazil, France and Portugal. Dominique Castro, a former RC Lens scout, leads their French recruitment. The squad is very young and competitive. “We are all competitors who want to achieve big things,” Meupiyou added.
The Frenchman fits this profile perfectly. His loan move to Alverca is now permanent. Get French Football News understands that several clubs have already asked about him. Alverca believe they can sell him for a club-record price this summer.
“Like every player, I want to play in the best leagues and competitions. I want to keep improving and follow this path. Maybe one day I can play at the highest level,” he stated.
Meupiyou remains grateful to his former clubs. Both Nantes and Wolves were relegated this season. “This makes me sad,” he said. While his old teams struggle, the centre-back’s career is rising fast. He has become one of the most exciting young defenders in Portugal. Several European clubs want to sign him.