The Colorado Rapids will not execute the purchase option on defensive midfielder Lamine Diack’s loan from French side FC Nantes.
Rapids president Pádraig Smith told DNVR Rapids that the six-month loan period, which was slated to end at the end of this month, simply “hasn’t worked out.”
The 23-year old Senegalese midfielder has played only 19 minutes in four appearances with the Rapids, but for the past month or so, the writing has been on the wall. He has not been included on a game day roster since a May 5 game at New York City FC.
Diack’s first match outside of the game day roster, the May 11 match against San Jose, was Connor Ronan’s (also a defensive midfielder) first match back in the game day roster since an injury early on in the season.
Diack’s four appearances all happened while Ronan was injured, but so few minutes came off as a shock, particularly when Jasper Löffelsend, another defensive midfielder, dealt with a nagging injury. Diack’s most notable moment in a Rapids jersey was a defensive play late against Miami that spurred a counterattack that ended in a game-tying goal by Cole Bassett.
Interestingly, Smith noted, in addition to Diack arriving late to preseason because of visa issues, Ronan’s injury did more harm to Diack’s role on the team than good, despite the knock dwindling the depth at the position.
In fact, Ronan’s injury led almost directly to a stronger partnership in the double-pivot between Bassett and Oliver Larraz, both of whom don’t usually drop back in a six.
That partnership was on display early in preseason but wasn’t the team’s first option until Ronan’s injury. Plus, from the beginning of the regular season, Larraz has exceeded any and all expectations for his first year with the first team. And the duo role with Bassett only grew stronger, making it difficult to plug someone else into a system that was already working wonders.
Ultimately, those circumstances and an unlikely emergence of the Bassett-Larraz union doomed the chances for Diack to have a longer-term role with the Rapids.
It is still unclear whether Diack will return to Nantes now or when the loan officially ends. Nantes finished the Ligue 1 season in April in 14th place, avoiding the relegation playoff by just four points.
Diack’s departure will open up an international slot on the Rapids’ roster ahead of the summer transfer window, which begins July 18.
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Originally Published: June 13, 2024 at 3:02 p.m.
