I didn’t want Damour to leave, insists Warnock
CARDIFF City boss Neil Warnock has insisted he did not want to let Loic Damour leave this summer, but the player was hellbent on forcing through a transfer.
Damour played a crucial role in the Bluebirds side that got promoted to the Premier League in 2017/18, playing 27 games in that campaign.
And given Warnock’s current plight in the middle of the park – Marlon Pack is still sidelined while Callum Paterson has also suffered with some knee trouble – what he would give to have Damour back in his ranks to bolster the midfield.
But following a season in which he barely featured in the Premier League – he made just two substitute appearances – the Frenchman was eager to find a new club where he could get game-time.
And he certainly wasn’t short of suitors. A number of Championship clubs were interested in his services, including Charlton, but Warnock believed the Scottish Premiership was the perfect match for him.
Warnock has a strong relationship with Hearts boss Craig Levein, which
helped with the signing of Paterson in 2017, and after several weeks of pursuit, Damour penned a four-year contract with the Edinburgh club.
“A few clubs down here wanted him – Charlton and another couple,” Warnock told the Edinburgh Evening News. “But I said to him: ‘Edinburgh is the place, Loic. It’s a gorgeous place.’ I’ve always wanted to manage up there.
“I like Craig and I told Loic that if Craig is in for him then that’s the one to choose. Craig had rung me for about five weeks about him. At first I said ‘no chance’ but he wore me down.
“Craig made it clear how much he wanted to sign him. When the lad spoke to me about Charlton, I said: ‘Loic, you can’t afford to live in London. It’s unbelievable. In Edinburgh, you’ll be in the team, you’ll love the city, the fans are fantastic and Craig is a good bloke.’ I just thought it fitted him, really.
“I think he’ll do a good job for Hearts and when Craig asked me about him, I didn’t want to let him go. The lads here (in Cardiff) love him and I can’t say a bad word about him. He does get silly bookings at times but that would be my only complaint.
“He came to me and said: ‘Gaffer, I’ve got to play games.’ A lot of people would just have kept him here, just to have in the squad. He wasn’t one of our high earners but when he came to see me I felt for him. He said he had to be playing so I said: ‘Loic, Hearts is your club.’
“He is a manager’s dream. An absolute manager’s dream. Every day in training, he’s the same as how he plays. I mean, some of his tackles are rash at times but he is so genuine. I didn’t want him to go. I’d have him in my squad every day of the week.”
Warnock has, on more than one occasion, insisted he will retire after the current campaign is finished.
The 70-year-old has enjoyed an incredibly successful managerial career which has spanned almost 40 years and earned him the accolade as the most prolific manager in English football, having earned eight promotions during 17 spells of management.