Francis Laurent; From a Shrimper to a Blade bypassing the Sky Blues!
Former Southend wideboy Francis Laurent turned out 62 times as a Shrimper over two seasons, and could be a frustrating bugger at times, but when he was good he was very good, and he was hoping he'd be a Championship player with Freddy Eastwood's club Coventry City.
Sadly it's not to be as the Sky Blue boss Aidy Boothroyd decided not to offer the Frenchman a contract.
So he stayed a free agent joining fellow Froggie Jean-Francois Christophe in looking for a club.
However, new Sheffield United manager Gary Speed is the latest manager who may give him the chance he's up to second tier football, which would meet with a mixed response from the Roots Hall faithful, after linking up with the Blades for training.
Giving nothing away about Francis, Speed told www.yorkshirepost.co.uk: "I hope we can do business and bring at least one more in by the time the window shuts. We have loads of lists and names kicking around - too many to remember."
The Laurent Files
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 January 1986 (1986-01-02) | ||
| Place of birth | Paris, France | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker / Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005-2006 | FC Sochaux-Montbéliard B | 12 | (0) |
| 2006-2007 | SV Eintracht Trier 05 | 14 | (4) |
| 2007-2008 | FSV Mainz II | 25 | (7) |
| 2007-2008 | FSV Mainz | 6 | (0) |
| 2008-2010 | Southend United | 56 | (9) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:56, 25 April 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
(Player information supplied by Wikipedia, for the full article go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Laurent)