French club coach tells newly signed Vietnam midfielder to be patient

“It would be unrealistic to expect Quang Hai to put on a superb performance and achieve excellence in his first year at Pau FC. He has just joined the club and will have to learn many new things. Quang Hai also needs time to adapt since he’s from abroad. I think he should be patient and not worry too much about how many games he will get to play,” Tholot said Thursday.

Quang Hai passed his medical Wednesday and signed a two-year contract with Pau FC. A day later, he had his first training session with the new club and an introductory press conference. Hai is the first-ever Vietnamese player to compete in a pro football league in France.

Nguyen Quang Hai in his first training session with Pau FC on June 30, 2022. Photo by Pau FC

“I will take a deeper look into videos of Quang Hai playing in Vietnam and how he performs during training to find the suitable style for him. He’s agile, hard-working and quick on the ball. He’s the type of player that can singlehandedly create a difference for the team and change the game. This is the player I was seeking for Pau FC,” Tholot added.

Pau FC are in Ligue 2, the second football division of France. The club peaked 10th last season and this summer, have recruited nine new players, including Hai. Tholot hopes the new signings would help Pau FC improve their position this season and compete for a promotion slot to top division Ligue 1.

Club President Bernard Laporte-Fray said he has watched videos of Quang Hai playing and was impressed. However, he thinks it’s too soon to predict anything because this is only Hai’s first day at the club. Laporte-Fray also affirmed that coach Tholot will get to decide whether Hai is good enough to play or not.

In six seasons with his former club Hanoi FC, Hai played 126 matches, scored 35 times and won every domestic title and Vietnam Golden Ball in 2018. He also played an important role in Vietnam securing the 2018 AFC U23 Championship second place, the 2018 AFF Cup title and SEA Games 30 gold medal, and in Vietnam’s journey to the final round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers.