There is something almost comically self-destructive about announcing your own transfer on Instagram before anyone at the club has signed off on it. And yet that is exactly what Junior Mwanga did on Saturday afternoon, hours before Nantes kicked off at Lorient in a match they desperately needed to win.
The Instagram story that started it all
"Merci au FC Nantes, et bonne continuation pour la suite." That was the full message. No context, no explanation — just a goodbye posted to his Instagram story while his teammates were preparing for a relegation six-pointer at the Moustoir. According to Ouest-France, Mwanga's own entourage had assured the club on Friday January 30 that the 22-year-old would see out his loan until the end of the season. Twenty-four hours later, he was telling the world he was gone.
The timing was terrible. Nantes didn't confirm anything. Nobody at the club appeared to know what was happening.
Kantari's cold-blooded response
Ahmed Kantari, who had already dropped Mwanga from the squad on sporting grounds, did not waste energy on diplomacy after the 2-1 defeat at Lorient. His post-match press conference was blunt:
"Chacun est responsable de ses propos. Je pense qu'aujourd'hui le club n'a pas fait de communiqué. Alors maintenant, si les joueurs décident de partir d'eux-mêmes, moi ça ne me concerne pas."
Translation, roughly: everyone is responsible for what they say, the club hasn't released any statement, and if players decide to leave on their own, that's not my problem. When pressed on why Mwanga wasn't in the squad, Kantari simply said: "Je pense que vous voyez les matches comme moi" — you watch the games like I do. A polite way of saying the performances had been nowhere near good enough.
And honestly, it's hard to argue. After a promising start to his loan — a goal, an assist, nine consecutive starts by mid-November — Mwanga's form fell off a cliff. Ouest-France reported that his declining effort had begun to frustrate teammates, pointing specifically to his passivity on OGC Nice's second goal during matchday 19. In the dressing room, patience was running thin.
The apology
On Monday February 2, with the transfer officially confirmed and his bags already packed for Strasbourg, Mwanga published a second message on Instagram. This one struck a different tone:
"Ces derniers jours, mon nom a été associé à des choses qui ne reflètent pas ce que je suis. J'ai réagi dans l'émotion et je reconnais que j'ai fait une erreur. Je tiens à présenter mes excuses sincères au FC Nantes, à ses joueurs et à ses supporters."
He closed by wishing the club well in their fight to stay up — a generous thought, though perhaps one that would have landed better had it not followed a weekend of chaos.
The bigger picture at Nantes
Here's what makes this whole episode particularly strange. It actually worked out for Mwanga. He got what he apparently wanted — an early return to Strasbourg. But the manner in which it happened left a sour taste, and it says something about the state of things at the Beaujoire right now.
Nantes are deep in a relegation fight. The defeat at Lorient — where they equalised, then conceded late, then had a goal ruled out for offside in the dying minutes — was their latest gut punch in a season full of them. Kantari, who replaced the sacked Luis Castro on December 11, has described his job as a "mission commando" and you can see why. The squad has been rebuilt almost entirely in January: six arrivals (Machado, Cabella, Sissoko, Guilbert, Kaba, and Abakar Sylla) plus Ganago back from loan, against five departures including Mwanga.
The Sylla deal is worth noting. Strasbourg's record signing — bought for around €20 million in July 2023 — had played a grand total of one minute in Ligue 1 this season before joining Nantes on loan. Whether that swap was already in the works or was Strasbourg's way of smoothing over the Mwanga embarrassment, the timing felt like more than coincidence.
A talent who needs to grow up
Mwanga is 22. Born in Lyon to Congolese parents, he came through the youth ranks at FC Lyon before joining Bordeaux's academy at 16. He was there for the chaos — making his professional debut in that final day 4-2 win against Brest in May 2022 that still couldn't save Bordeaux from relegation. He signed for Strasbourg for €10 million in August 2023, had a decent first season, went on loan to Le Havre in January 2025, then on to Nantes in September.
There is genuine ability here. At his best he's composed on the ball, strong in duels, and capable of both defensive midfield and centre-back roles. France U20 caps to his name. A market value that some outlets put north of €7 million. The raw material is there.
But this episode — the premature announcement, the declining form, the attitude issues reported by Ouest-France, the apology that came only after the deal was done — is the kind of thing that follows a player around. At Strasbourg, where he remains under contract until 2027, the next move matters. A lot.
For Nantes, the page turns quickly. Kantari has his new squad, a daunting second half of the season ahead, and zero time for distractions. Mwanga's 15 appearances in green and yellow will be a footnote at best. Whether the club can stay up is another question entirely — and one that will be answered by what happens on the pitch, not on Instagram.
