Armand Gnanduillet opens up on his Blackpool exit, why he turned down the offer of a new contract and his failed move to Charlton Athletic

The 28-year-old was offered a new contract to remain at Bloomfield Road after scoring 18 goals in 36 games in all competitions.

But the Frenchman opted to seek pastures new, eventually joining Turkish Second Division side Altay SK despite harbouring hopes of moving to a club in the Championship.

Speaking exclusively to utmp's 1-2 podcast, Gnanduillet said: “It’s simple. When I came to England to sign for Chesterfield, I remember I told Paul Cook my ambition is not to stay in League Two. I want to go as high as I can.

“I can not stay in the same division for two or three years when I am doing well and scoring goals. I can not stay and stay.

“It’s easy to say that, but I don’t like to feel too comfortable. I had been at Blackpool for four years and it was magnificent. I met a lot of good people too.

“But the club, when the new owner came, tried to talk with me and my agent. I told them it was simple: if we go up, if we are promoted - which at the time we could have done - then yes I will be pleased to stay at Blackpool and play in the Championship, which was my aim.

“When things went wrong around January, because we didn’t win a lot of games, my transfer to Charlton didn’t go well for me.

“I told myself I haven’t been respected as a player and as a man and respect for me is something big.

“I will always respect the club and I will always respect the fans. You will either like me or you won’t like me. I don’t care, I will still respect you.

“The person on the board didn’t really respect me because they didn’t offer me a new deal after the first season when I scored 14 goals. They didn’t let me go to Charlton, so I stayed and scored goals.

“I was a free agent but even in January they didn’t come with an offer, so I was like ‘maybe they want new players for the club’.

“They came with an offer around February or March, but I could not accept it because I knew I could play higher in the Championship.

“After this, I talked with the person in charge at Blackpool. At the time we didn’t know the season would be stopped, but I told the club I would be there if they needed me, but if you want me to stay with the team for the next season then you have to make things happen.

“I told them they needed to respect me and give me what I deserved, which is the main reason why I didn’t sign for Blackpool.”

Gnanduillet came close to leaving Blackpool last summer, when Charlton tried to prise him away on transfer deadline day.

The move never materialised and, while the Addicks did return with interest in January, the club were embroiled in ownership issues off the pitch at the time and they never fully pursued a bid.

“Charlton came for me the season before but they didn’t really push,” Gnanduillet continued.

“The club was unhappy because they came in a little bit late, which I couldn’t understand. It was the last day of the transfer window so they didn’t want me to go, so I stayed.

“As a player and the way they did this, I wasn’t happy but they told me I would play if I did well in training and during the games on Saturday and Tuesday.

“I was just told to do what I had to do and then Charlton would come back. They tried to come back in January but they didn’t really push it because I was a free agent in the summer, so they could wait six more months and have me for free in the summer.

“Unfortunately it didn’t happen, and I say unfortunately because I wanted to play in the Championship.”

Gnanduillet revealed Charlton came in for him for a third time at the end of last season but, with the Addicks being relegated to League One, the striker wasn’t interested in making the move to The Valley on this occasion.

“It was a chance for me, because at the time they really wanted me to go there. At the end of the season they got relegated but they still tried to sign me for League One,” Gnanduillet explained.

“I expected to play in the Championship, so to play for them in League One for me wasn’t the plan.

“I feel sad and I feel angry because one day they wanted to sign me and another day they didn’t, but it’s football and you don’t always get what you want.

“Some things happen in football, I won’t be the first and I won’t be the last. I could react badly and say I’m not training, which happens a lot of the time in football, but I’m not like this.

“I’ve been disappointed, but I had a good season and a lot of clubs were liking the idea of me playing for them.

“I showed people who was not trusting in me and saying I could not score more than 10 goals or whatever, but I showed them.

“I knew it wouldn’t be easy reaching 20 goals in the league, but I know I have the capacity and the ability to do that.

“I scored 18 goals and I had the best season of my career and I was happy to do that with Blackpool.”

utmp’s full 1-2 podcast, which includes Gnanduillet recalling his favourite goals in tangerine, the fans’ homecoming, THAT penalty against Reading, his decision to join the club as well as his short stint in South Africa, will be available to listen to in full at 7pm on Friday.

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