Hannover 96 have today completed the signing of 29 year old striker Jimmy Briand on a one-year deal from Lyon.
The striker has plied his trade in France for twelve years, moving up from the youth team at Rennes, where he spent eight years, before a €7m move to Olympique Lyon in 2010 where he played 120 times, scoring 25 times over the course of three years.
After the departures of Ya Konan, Huszti, and Diouf this summer, die Roten have been in the market for forwards, after adding Joselu and youngster Kenan Karaman from Hoffenheim already this summer.
The 6ft 1’ forward is extremely versatile, and Sporting Director Dirk Dufner was extremely pleased with the deal, stating on the official site “Jimmy Briand can play on the wings or in the centre. We wanted to reinforce these positions in the squad and I’m confident that we’ve found a solution in Briand.”
Despite his whole career being played in Ligue 1, the Frenchman – who has five national caps – is excited by the new challenge ahead, telling the Hannover site “The Bundesliga will be a new experience for me and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m new in the league in the country of World Champions because I’ve played in French Ligue 1 for so many years. I want to settle in Hannover as quickly as possible and really hope that we can have a successful start to the new season.”
Tayfun Korkut’s side will start their campaign at the HDI Arena on Saturday, against Jens Keller’s Schalke 04.