The vice captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Moses Simon has extended his contract with French Ligue 1 side Nantes till the summer of 2026, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Simon’s contract with the club was due to run out in the summer but despite the option of moving on a free for big money in the summer, he decided to commit his future to the team.
French giants Lyon were also interested in signing him in the January transfer window as widely reported, making many wonder why he rather preferred to commit his future to the modest Ligue 1 side.
We can exclusively reveal that he also has an offer from an unnamed team in Saudi Arabia, who were willing to pay him around $2.5m a year.
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Below are five key reasons why he decided to extend his deal at the Ligue 1 side.
1. Want To Remain In Europe – Simon feels still has around five more years to spend in Europe before any decision will be taken on a possible departure.
2. Want To Be Close To His Children – This is key in why he snubbed the offer to Saudi Arabia, as he sees staying close to his two daughters who are still very young as a responsibility that money can’t change.
3. Close To Having French Residency – By the end of this season he will be granted French residency. A move away would have made the process a lot difficult and probably impossible.
4. Nantes Not Let Him Join Lyon In January – An idea could have been to join a team like Lyon, who were keen on him but Nantes made it clear to him and his camp that a January move won’t get their blessings.
5. World Cup 2026 – Injury made Simon narrowly missed on making the Super Eagles team to the 2018 world cup, and it still hurts him till date. A move away from Europe might jeopardize his hope of making up for that pain, if the Super Eagles make it to the 2026 world cup.
Daniel Martins
