His Clermont adventure ends there. After two seasons spent at ASM Clermont, Kotaro Matsushima leaves the club. A departure anticipated for a while, but made official by the player this Thursday. Despite multiple attempts by the club to renegotiate a contract extension, the desire to return to Japan was stronger for the Clermont rear.
“We made a lot of effort for him, to keep him, but in the end it was more important for him to find his family, his friends in Japan.“, explains Jono Gibbes. “It’s disappointing for everyone. ” The ASM Clermont coach regrets the departure of his player, who after a good first season seemed a little more in difficulty this year (zero tries scored).
Search for a new player
Kotaro Matsushima will still wear the colors of ASM until the end of the season. But he may not be present on the pitch until this summer, due to his injury in the first leg of the Champions Cup round of 16 against Leicester. The Clermont staff specifies do everything possible so that Matsushima can recover and play again before the end of the season.
The club anticipated such a decision on the part of his player, and already working to find a replacement. “When we prepare for an extension, in a file like that, we are also obliged to prepare for other scenarios“, adds Jono Gibbes. The important thing for the Clermont coach is not the position of this replacement but rather to ensure that his “game and his personality matches those of the squad“.