The ex-Dortmund player Thomas Meunier has found his new sporting home in Lille. But his previous employer, Trabzonspor, are not at all happy about the way the 32-year-old has left
On Tuesday afternoon, Trabzonspor announced the imminent transfer of Thomas Meunier on their website. The ex-Dortmund player had only left BVB in February, signing a contract with the Turkish first division club until 2025 – and now “unilaterally” terminated it, as the club said.
It is now also clear where the Belgian defender is heading: Meunier signed a new two-year contract with Lille OSC on Friday. He has only “heard good things about the club” and is certain that he has made “the perfect choice, both from a sporting and family perspective.”
However, his departure from Turkey seems to have gone less perfectly, at least that’s how the Trabzonspor website sees it. Tuesday’s press release also states: “In connection with the player’s dismissal, legal action has been taken against all parties involved, in particular Thomas Meunier. “
Trabzonspor president angry
The reason for this is apparently a contractual clause that allows Meunier to unilaterally terminate his employment contract. However, he is said to have activated this clause just before the deadline. “We explained in our agreement with Meunier that we would understand if he moved to a club where his family lives for family reasons,” club president Ertugrul Dogan told Turkish broadcaster A Spor.
The club should get in touch with Trabzonspor if the worst comes to the worst. However, this apparently did not happen. Dogan continued: “But five minutes before the deadline, he sent us an email that annoyed us. He informed us that he had unilaterally terminated his contract at 11.55 pm. I have instructed our lawyers to make use of our rights.”
In purely sporting terms, Meunier’s short chapter in Turkey was a success. He has featured in all 14 league games since joining Trabzonspor, contributing one goal and five assists. Prior to that, he had rarely impressed at Dortmund, where he had been under contract for a good three-and-a-half years. At Lille, the 66-time Belgian international, who was nominated for the European Championship but did not play due to injury, is now hoping to build on his good form from the second half of the season – despite the threat of a legal dispute.
