Pa Modou Jagne set to join FC Sion

Gambia's Pa Modou Jagne

Gambia international Pa Modou Jagne is set to quit Swiss Super League club FC St Gallen to join another Super League side FC Sion at the end of the season, this blog can reveal.

The defender-cum-midfielder rejected a contract offer made by Gallen in favour of a move to two-time Swiss Super League champions, Sion.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the team’s final home match of the season against second-placed Grasshopper, St Gallen head coach Jeff Saibene confirmed that the club made numerous offers to Nda Jagne but the Gambian decided to reject the club’s offer of a new deal.

“Pa Modou [Jagne] will be leaving the club after this season [because] he has signed with FC Sion. We made good offers to him but he has decided not to accept it which is too bad for us. But these things will always happen [in football] and we have to accept it,” a disappointed Jeff Saibene said in his pre-match press conference.

The 23-year-old joined St Gallen in 2009 from Swiss Challenge League [second-tier] side FC Wil 1900. He helped Gallen gain promotion to the top tier last season from the Swiss Challenge League.

He has been an orthodox but effective leader in the team with his methodical approach helping the team to currently lie 3rd in the standings with a UEFA Europa League place guaranteed.

The 6ft 1in Gambian scored his first Swiss Super League goal of the season in St Gallen’s 5-0 triumph over FC Sion two weeks ago. A result which later resulted in the club sacking their their fifth manager of the season with Italian 2006 World Cup winner Gennaro Gattuso relieved of his job after a series of poor results.

In addition, eight players were also demoted to the reserve squad and replaced by eight from the under-21 side.

Former Espérance Sportive de Tunis and under-21 coach Michel Decastel took over the team from axed player-manager Gattuso, for the second time this season.

Sébastien Fournier started the season in the hot seat and was replaced by Decastel in September. He was followed by Pierre-André Schürmann, Spaniard Víctor Muñoz and then Gattuso.

Despite the chaos, Sion are currently sixth in the 10-team Swiss Super League but will miss out in the UEFA Europa League next season.

Eccentric club president Christian Constantin has employed around 30 coaches since taking over for a second stint in 2002. An architect and former goalkeeper, Constantin has appointed himself as coach on two occasions.

Last year, he led the club into a legal battle with European football’s governing body UEFA after Sion were kicked out of the Europa League for fielding ineligible players against Scottish Premier League champions Celtic.

Sion lost the battle and were docked 36 points in the league but escaped relegation because another club, Neuchâtel Xamax [formerly of Abdourahman Dampha], were expelled due to financial irregularities.