JJ makes French connection
Tuesday, 30th Sep 2014Jim Jefferies has signed 20 year old Frenchman, Sorel Chemin from Paris St Germain.
The Cameroon born player has been at PSG from the age of 13 and the Pars manager has had a close look at the winger over the past two weeks including in a closed doors friendly against Motherwell on Tuesday. He felt that the player deserved a decision since he had been at Dunfermline long enough. The manager told this website:-
"We have not money to sign players. There are three avenues open to us. One is our own youth although you are not always going to get everybody coming through. We have done fantastically well to get the boys we have and we have got more talent coming through.
"The other options are looking down the lower league and pick up one or two young players. We have been successful in that as well and the other way is for a manager with so many years of being in the game, you build up a network of contacts and people you know.
"I know who to trust, I know where there is a track record of putting boys forward. If they are not good I do not tend to listen too much. I have a few contacts who have put up good players. Some players don't last a day, another lasted a week but this boy has been here a couple of weeks so he must have something!
"It is the way if you cannot afford the ready made article. This boy comes into that category. He was recommended to us, we have had a look at him and I think he has something different. Technically he is very good, very quick and has a terrific left foot."
Sorel arrives initially on a short term contract until the end of November and the signing is subject to international clearance.
Jim Jefferies continued:-
"We got a tip off about this player and he actually played in a game that I got watched. We decided to bring him in for a few days and Neil, John and I saw something in him. The plan was to take him for a few days, but we asked him to stay for a week. The crazy thing is that because of the rules, as a foreign player you have to sign him before you can test him out in games.
"A Scottish based player can play as a trialist but to get international clearance for a foreign player, they have to have a contract. I have an agreement with the player and his agent to test him out in games that are meaningful. He played in a closed doors game against Motherwell and he did fine. I think sometimes you see something in a player but you want to be totally convinced. He has done everything alright in training, he has a good attitude and he's a good lad.
"He has been at Paris St Germain for a number of years and that is no mean feat to be signed for a team like that as a kid. The ideal situation would be to get him signed up for a couple of months and I asked the Board to do that and they have allowed me to do that. That way I don't want to commit anything to the Club until I am sure, but right now I have a good vibe about him.
"He now has a couple of months to show us what he has got. He gets on great with the boys and they have been impressed with him. We expect him to be available for the next 20's game. He can play through the middle and behind the striker but he likes on the left hand side or maybe in a wee bit and is predominately left footed.
"He is very quick, direct, good feet and a good crosser of the ball. He will have to handle playing Scottish football though which is different from playing on the continent where everyone backs off you. It is different here. He will have to adjust to that and giving him a couple of months will let him see what he has to do. If it doesn't work out then we have not lost a lot and it's given the boy a proper chance."
Sorel has signed, subject to international clearance till the end of November.
Sorel spoke to the website exclusively regarding his contract with Dunfermline.
"It is very good. It is like a family here. I like Dunfermline. The football is different here, it is more physical here while in France it is more technical. I played at Paris St Germain for 9 years and it was a family. I played in the reserve team.
Although he only trained with the likes of Ibrahimovic and Maxwell he aspires to be as good as them. Sorel lives just outside Paris and is French from Cameroon parents.
If International Clearance is granted for Sorrel, he may play in the U20 game against Kilmarnock on Tuesday 7th October.
" I want to play for Dunfermline. I want many people to see me play. Faissal has helped me very much and translates for me. Gozie is good and he speaks English slowly.
Both Gozie and Faissal help Sorrel on the training pitch understand the directions.
"I think the Manager is very good and is very hard because he wants to win. They are good (coaching staff)."
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