Details of Phiri’s terms with Guingamp revealed

As reported by the Siya crew last month, midfielder Lebogang Phiri was looking for a way out of his contract with Turkish topflight outfit Caykur Rizespor and had been spotted in South Africa.

The Alexandra-born player, who has made six Bafana Bafana appearances, still had another year left on the deal and it was clear the club had no plans to feature him at all this season and were trying to sell him for a fee.

Phiri has since returned to France after joining his former side Guingamp in the Ligue 2 on a free transfer in a move confirmed to be a short-term agreement until the end of the current season.

According to Siya sources, there are some clauses added to the deal as conditions to him staying on and continuing to help the team. Guingamp don’t want to make the mistake of losing Phiri again.

Soccer Laduma has been informed that the player has an option on his new contract, which will be triggered should he at least get five games in the starting line-up – that is all it would take to have it exercised.

It’s understood these loose and quite lax terms are to almost guarantee Phiri a permanent move after leaving Guingamp without them getting any compensation back in July 2021 when he signed for Rizespor.

The 29-year-old has had a horror spell in Turkey, first getting loaned back to France with Paris FC, then the two clubs failing to reach an agreement on a permanent deal, before Rizespor tried to frustrate him by not releasing him from the initial contract.

But he finally gets to start afresh.