Estoril: Begraoui Speaks Out… and Makes Waves in France

With 20 goals in 34 appearances, Yanis Begraoui certainly didn't go unnoticed among the league's top performers last month. The Moroccan forward finished as the third-highest scorer in the championship, trailing only Pavlidis (22) and Silver Boot winner, Luis Suárez (28).

The Estoril striker recently gave an interview to Poteaux Carrés, where he reflected on his highly successful season. The 24-year-old revealed he had met the target set by manager Ian Cathro before the season began: “On the day we returned to training, I had a meeting with him, and he set me the goal of scoring 20 goals. He told me it might sound crazy, and that perhaps few people would believe it, but he firmly believed it was possible. Then, he told me he would be demanding of me to reach that target.”

And he delivered. “In the end, I achieved it, and I thanked him,” the Moroccan added. As our newspaper previously reported, the Scottish coach has since left Estoril to join French club Saint-Étienne. When asked if, given his productive season and good relationship with his former coach, he would follow Ian Cathro, the forward confirmed his phone hadn't rung yet: “You'll have to ask him that. I'm not discussing the transfer market; I'm on vacation now. For now, I haven't received any calls; I'm just resting.”

The historic French club (ten-time champions, most recently in 1981) believes in the former Canaries coach's ability to return the green and white club to Ligue 1, and Yanis Begraoui is confident he won't disappoint: “He's a young coach who achieved good results in Portugal and, above all, created a distinct playing identity. He managed to change Estoril's mentality somewhat. We knew he would inevitably receive offers, so I'm not surprised he left.”

“It's an excellent step in his coaching career. Joining a historic club like Saint-Étienne is a fantastic stage. He's a coach who can have a brilliant career. That's all I wish for him, especially since, on a human level, he's an excellent person,” he concluded.