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By Ebenezer Bajela
Real Zaragoza coach Fran Escribá has emphatically told Nigerian player James Igbekeme that he will not play any part for the club in the remaining season.
Escribá made this known during a press conference ahead of their visit to Andorra.
The 57-year-old expressed his displeasure with the conduct of Igbekeme during the winter transfer window after the player refused to leave the club despite plea from the club.
Igbekeme joined Zaragoza from Portuguese’s Gil Vicente in 2018 for €150,000 and has gone on to make 96 appearances, scoring four goals in the process.
According to transfermarkt, the 27-year-old, who last signed a contract with the Aragon-based club in 2022, is currently valued at €500,000 and has a contract with the Spanish club until 2024.
The Lagos-born midfielder is yet to make a single appearance for Zaragoza this season and has been deemed surplus to requirements and despite efforts to have him transferred during the last transfer window, the player refused to leave the Liga2 side.
According to El Periodico de Aragon, Igbekeme’s decision to remain with Zaragoza has left the manager angry and has hit out that the player will play no further part in his team this season.
“I think it hurts you to stay in a place where they have told you that they don’t count on you,” Fran Escribá said, as per El Periodico de Aragon.
“The player’s right to fulfill his contract must be respected, but one who dedicates himself to this profession is because he wants to play. It’s uncomfortable to work with 25 players.
“I made my thinking clear to James (Igbekeme). The club made it clear to him, and he decided to stay. He is in his right, but he is not going to participate.”