Baptiste Drouet, the former head of recruitment at FC Nantes, has spoken out about his departure from the club, offering his perspective on the factors contributing to the team's current struggles in Ligue 1. Drouet, who served as chief scout from July 2023 until February 2026, stated that he was ultimately held responsible for the club's overall sporting situation, a burden he feels was unfairly placed upon him.
In a detailed interview with So Foot, Drouet characterized his tenure at Nantes as "mitigé," or mixed. He pointed to several pieces of strategic counsel he believes were sound, including advising the club on the timing of Nathan Zézé's sale to secure the best possible fee. He also mentioned his role in bringing in coach Luis Castro and in working to secure the futures of young players with high potential. However, Drouet acknowledged that a significant portion of his advice was not followed by the club's leadership.
While defending his strategic input, Drouet was candid about the shortcomings in the recruitment department under his watch. He admitted there were "too many failures" in pure recruitment, though he suggested some of these outcomes could be contextualized within the broader challenges facing the club. This admission comes as Nantes finds itself in a precarious position, sitting second-to-last in Ligue 1 and facing the real threat of relegation.
The situation has been further complicated by public comments from club president Waldemar Kita. In a separate interview with Eurosport, Kita placed direct blame on Drouet and former coach Luis Castro for the club's predicament. The president stated he had made poor choices in hiring the recruiter and coach, alleging they worked together and assured him to "leave it to us," a trust he now regrets.
This exchange of accusations paints a picture of internal discord at a club fighting for its top-flight survival. Drouet's account suggests a disconnect between the recruitment department's recommendations and the final decisions made at the executive level. Meanwhile, Kita's remarks indicate a loss of confidence in the very staff he appointed to steer the sporting project.
As FC Nantes prepares for a critical match against Lens, the off-field narrative is dominated by this blame game. The club's slide toward Ligue 2 has prompted a public examination of its decision-making processes, with former key figures now offering their conflicting accounts of what went wrong. Drouet's willingness to detail both his contributions and the failures he oversaw adds a layer of complexity to the understanding of Nantes' decline.
Based on reporting from Foot - actualités, mercato, info & vidéo en continu.
