It has been a summer of upheaval at Nantes with the departures of head coach Antoine Kombouaré and midfield lynchpins Douglas Augusto and Pedro Chirivella. Fortunately for Kombouaré’s successor in La Beaujoire’s dugout, Luís Castro (since replaced by Ahmed Kantari), Les Canaris secured the permanent signing of Lyon loanee Johann Lepenant on a four-year deal.

The France U21 international midfielder typically fits the profile sought by the Portuguese manager to implement his possession-based brand of football. Lepenant is both comfortable with the ball and able to anchor his team’s midfield to break up opposition attacks.

Lepenant’s vast experience at such a young age also gave him a platform to nurture his leadership skills and be a more vocal presence for Nantes on and off the pitch. The Granville-born midfielder was a key performer in Les Canaris’ push for Ligue 1 survival last season. Lepenant was particularly impressive against PSG when Les Parisiens could only draw away at La Beaujoire.

His performances caught the eye of France U21 manager Gérald Baticle, who picked him up for the 2025 U-21 Euros, during which Lepenant shone as an all-action No.10. He even scored a crucial goal in the group stage phase against Georgia.

Lepenant, who was part of a Lyon squad packed with talents the likes of Bradley Barcola, Malo Gusto, and Castello Lukeba, was touted as the next young star in the making for Les Gones. But a knee injury sustained with France’s U21 and Lyon’s financial struggles in 2024 obscured his future at the Groupama Stadium. Nantes tried their luck, initially on loan, before making his transfer permanent.

A high ranking in defensive metrics

Since the start of his tenure as Nantes head coach, Castro has implemented a 4-3-3 formation with Johann Lepenant as a right-sided box-to-box midfielder. Les Canaris have struggled since the start of the season, most notably due to the poor quality of the squad that over-relies on inexperienced players.

It is striking to note that, in the absence of Lepenant due to a fibula injury, Nantes’ struggles deepened. “It’s true that if you look at his playing time before his injury, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t important to us. He is an important player in midfield,” the Portuguese head coach said about Lepenant.

Nantes’ No.8 ranks in the 96th percentile for tackles per 90 and in the 94th percentile for blocks, as per FBref. If Nantes can’t offer Lepenant the ambitions to match his skillset, another club will, and it will be inspired to do so.