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Ghana international Gideon Mensah has opened up about his emotional departure from French side AJ Auxerre, admitting that leaving the club was one of the most difficult decisions of his career.
The 27-year-old left-back joined German Bundesliga side FC Köln on a two-year contract after his deal with Auxerre expired, bringing an end to a four-year spell in France.
Mensah says his long stay at Auxerre made the club feel like home, particularly after spending much of his early career moving between clubs on loan.
Speaking to Flashscore, the Ghana defender explained that his career before joining Auxerre had been characterised by short-term contracts and loan moves.
“Yeah, it was a bit difficult,” Mensah said.
“If you’ve followed my career a bit, you know that before Auxerre, I’d spent most of my career playing for clubs on loans, so mostly one-year contracts and then I’d go back to Salzburg.”
Mensah joined Auxerre permanently from Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg in 2022 after several loan spells away from the club.
His previous temporary moves included spells at Sturm Graz, Zulte Waregem, Vitória Guimarães and Bordeaux.
