Bajic had been on the radar of Valenciennes’ goalkeeping coach and former Saint-Étienne man Jérémie Janot, who had worked with the young shot-stopper when he was in the youth ranks of Les Verts. This interest has culminated in a loan move, which sees the player of Serbian descent back in France’s Ligue 2, where he had previously played at Pau FC.

Valenciennes sit 11th in the second division at the halfway point in the season, looking to make their return to the French top flight for the first time in almost 10 years. They have played in Ligue 2 since 2014/15, after relegation in 2013/14 saw them end their eight-season run in Ligue 1.

GFFN | Brendan Cox

“It’s a mixed report. I signed for a good club, but not at the right time. The coach who recruited me got fired after four games. Rafa Benítez, the new coach, started over and had other ideas. The priority on his arrival was to save the club, not to manage the egos or the playing time of one player or the other… In my contract, I had a clause which said that, in the event of relegation, I could leave. My goal was not to play in the Championship, but higher up. There are things that happened internally that I had no control over. Newcastle blocked me from leaving, demanded unrealistic resale percentages and they turned down a lot of offers when I wasn’t playing, even for loans. I had to force my departure. Even today, it annoys me, because I have no answers. I never understood why I wasn’t more integrated into the club’s project, when the players who were in my place on the pitch honestly weren’t better than me.”

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Do you regret trying your luck in England?
“In terms of football, no. I had fun, I experienced extraordinary atmospheres – St James’ Park is a magnificent stadium and I was able to experience English football. Signing for Newcastle opened doors to big clubs like Saint-Étienne and allowed me to have the opportunity to discover Turkey, to play in a league that I did not know and where I had an exceptional time. My departure even brought my club some money at a time when they certainly needed it, so zero regrets there.”

Was there a time when you lost your self-confidence?
“Often, in these moments, even if the passion for football forces you to keep going, you ask yourself questions. I wondered if I’d become useless… For three or four days, I even thought about quitting my career.”

What made you clear your head?
“I’ve always loved basketball, I played when I was younger. When things weren’t going well with football, it was my escape. A friend of mine is a basketball coach in Mérignac. Every year he plans trips to the United States to see NBA games. I didn’t hesitate to go along, it allowed me to enjoy something else, to make a few baskets with some Americans at Venice Beach. This is probably what convinced me not to hang up my boots.”

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Dubbed as the “Vietnamese Messi,” Hải is expected to arrive in France in the coming days to undergo a medical ahead of signing an initial 2-year contract, with the option to extend for a further 3rd year.

The Vietnamese forward has been offered around to French 2nd division sides in recent weeks, but up until now there had not been any serious reciprocated contacts, instead, more so the work of a hard-working agent.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder is out of contract with Hanoi FC and is considered to be the undisputed star of the Vietnamese national team – at the moment, the player is attempting to earn a work visa to enter France.

If the deal is concluded, Hải will become the first Vietnamese footballer to be contracted to a French professional club.

Pau FC’s decision to sign Hải is two-fold – scouts believe in the player’s potential but also, the deal is considered to be a marketing coup – Hải has 800,000 Instagram followers and 2.5m fans on Facebook and the move is expected attract major attention to Pau from South-East Asia.

Hải is seeking to use Pau as a stepping stone into a club in Europe’s top 5 leagues.

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Bajic, who, in competition with Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier (22), has competed for the France U21 jersey, enjoyed a convincing loan spell at Pau last season. Having made 15 Ligue 2 appearances for the side after joining in the winter transfer window, he is now looking for a new club. 

In the past few weeks, he has garnered interest from across the continent and also domestically. However, Bajic does not wish to remain in France and is seeking a move abroad. The former Saint-Étienne man is wanting to ensure his progression and sees a move abroad as the best way of doing that. 

Specifically, a Belgian and an English side are both targeting the free agent, after he declined to the opportunity to join Valenciennes. 

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The goalkeeper had engaged in talks with Belgian side KV Oostende, during the January transfer window, in the search for a club following the end of his contract this summer.

The Ligue 1 side terminated their 3rd choice keeper’s contract 6 months early so that he might join Pau before the summer.

Having come through Les Verts’ academy, Bajic ended up making 9 Ligue 1 appearances, alongside 3 in the Coupe de France.

The home side had dominated the match at the Nouste Camp ground, but it was Dunkerque who took home the three points, in the first win of the season, after scoring from their only two chances as the match finished 1-2.

After a tense game which saw a red card on both teams and multiple yellows, with the two managers reportedly having a heated exchange of words at the end, confrontations between players then took place both on the pitch and in the tunnel. As a result, another two players were sent off – Pau’s Djibril Dianessy and Dunkerque’s Thomas Vannoye.

Both coaches gave differing versions of the events in their respective press conferences. Pau’s Didier Tholot explained that he had simply told his opposing number to stop complaining to get another one of his players sent off, and to celebrate the win gracefully. Dunkerque’s Romain Revelli noted that he reacted to people who had been disrespectful towards his goalkeeper, but that he spoke with Tholot after the match and regretted that things had gotten out of hand afterwards.