Former Tottenham and PSG defender Serge Aurier set to join seventh-tier French side

Serge Aurier, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain right-back who played in the 2019 Champions League final, is closing in on a move to Montigny-en-Gohelle — a club competing in the second division of the Hauts-de-France regional league, the equivalent of England’s seventh tier.

The 33-year-old Ivorian has been a free agent since leaving Iranian side Persepolis earlier this year. Montigny-en-Gohelle are based near Ligue 1 club Lens and are currently in poor defensive form, having conceded ten goals in a single match against local rivals Biache-Saint-Vaast at the weekend.

According to local newspaper La Voix du Nord, the deal is being held up by delays in obtaining documentation from the Iranian Football Federation, but sources close to the situation expect Aurier to receive clearance to sign in due course.

The move marks a dramatic descent for a player who spent four years at Spurs, regularly competing for a top-four Premier League finish under Mauricio Pochettino and José Mourinho. After leaving north London, Aurier had spells at Villarreal and Nottingham Forest, where he spent two seasons as the club re-established themselves in the Premier League following their 2022 promotion.

Despite the circumstances of this latest move, Aurier’s career has been decorated with silverware. He won 11 trophies with PSG and, more recently, claimed the Turkish Super Lig title with Galatasaray in 2024. On the international stage, he was part of two Ivory Coast squads that won the Africa Cup of Nations.

Aurier is already planning for life after playing. He has recently been appointed as Under-15 coach at Lens — the club where he first developed as a player before moving to Toulouse and then PSG — but is keen to continue his playing career for now.