San Francisco Frontiers - Nantes talisman Blas key to French Cup repeat

On the cusp of leaving last summer, Blas has led Nantes to within potentially 90 minutes of retaining their title after his brilliant winner against Lyon sealed a return to the final.

The attacking midfielder still has a year to run on his contract, but a move -- elsewhere in France or abroad -- beckons for a player ready to make the step up from a club fighting for their Ligue 1 survival.

The 25-year-old is Nantes' leading scorer, alongside Egypt international Mostafa Mohamed, for the third season running, and struck the only goal in last year's final against Nice.

His second-half penalty at the Stade de France last May secured Nantes their first major silverware since the club won the last of their eight French league crowns in 2001.

"Once you have this cup in your hands you want to keep it. So the goal is to keep it and for as long as possible," Blas told TF1 in a recent interview.

He also opened up on the aborted August transfer to Lille, which Nantes coach Antoine Kombouare strongly opposed, admitting the uncertainty over his future had been unsettling.

"It wasn't the desire to leave that I needed time to get over, it was the situation," said Blas.

"When you tell me things, I will follow you and when you tell me, I will give everything. It was me who went to go see the coach to tell him I was 100 percent invested."

Blas joined from Guingamp in 2019 months after helping the modest Brittany club reach the League Cup final, and quickly established himself as a central figure in the Nantes team.

Only Lionel Messi has successfully completed more dribbles in Ligue 1 this season than Blas, who admits to drawing inspiration from another ex-Barcelona star Ronaldinho.

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But with Blas out of contract next year and reportedly no talks over an extension, Nantes could look to cash in one of their prized assets who still harbours ambition of breaking into the France squad.

Blas featured alongside Kylian Mbappe in the under-19 side that won the European Championship in 2016, and is of the same generation as France internationals Theo Hernandez and Marcus Thuram.

His former Nantes team-mate Randal Kolo Muani, who played in last year's final, has excelled for Eintracht Frankfurt, where his form also earned him a place in the 2022 World Cup squad.

"It's a goal," said Blas of getting a call-up from Didier Deschamps. "I'm going to work hard and we'll see what happens.

"Of course (I want it), to meet up again with Kylian, Randal, little 'Cus' (Thuram), Theo. All the people I've played with."

But for Blas and Nantes, the immediate task is to beat Toulouse this weekend and then switch their focus back to the fight against relegation.

"These are rare, exceptional moments," said Kombouare after the semi-final victory over a Lyon side managed by Laurent Blanc, the former France and Paris Saint-Germain coach.

"When you experience a season like last year, you tell yourself that it doesn't only happen once in a lifetime, and then here we are again."

Kombouare endured a miserable 83-day spell in charge of Toulouse in 2019-20, a shortened campaign which ended in relegation after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The following season he took over at Nantes, keeping them in the top tier after a controversial play-off win over Toulouse which still rankles those on the losing side.

A former Nantes player, Kombouare again finds himself in a similar predicament, with his side above the drop zone only on goal difference.

"We have two huge challenges," said Kombouare. "Of course we have everything to lose, but we also have everything to gain. The ball's in our court, we have to believe."

"I'm not happy with how we've done in the league and the club's survival is far more important. That doesn't spoil the fun but it weighs on your mind."

E.Cruz--SFF