Top 14: Mignoni and Lemaître close the door to an early return of Carbonel to Toulon

It is a file which ignited relations between RC Toulon supporters and their management. The departure in 2022 of international fly half Louis Carbonel, a child of the club, for Montpellier had ignited the powder. A wound that remains wide open for many of the RCT “fadas” who have still not digested the departure of the “minot”, son of Alain Carbonel, an emblematic figure of the Var club. And, since this departure, the hypothesis of an early return of the 25-year-old fly-half, former U20 world champion, now linked with the MHR until 2025, has regularly come up.

Questioned this Wednesday by our colleagues from Var Matin, Toulon president Bernard Lemaître explained that a repatriation of Carbonel is not on the agenda. “Louis is a very good player, a child of the club, but there are conditions that must be met. Today, he has a year and a half of contract left, and with Hervé, Biggar and Garbisi, the budget for the openers is already high,” he explained. And the Var manager added: “And then, by the end of his contract, will the club have acquired another fly-half to replace Dan Biggar? We do not know. A year and a half is a long time. And then I know, from having inquired, that Mohed Altrad does not want to let go of him.

At the same time, Toulon manager Pierre Mignoni confirmed, with Midi Olympique, that a return of Carbonel is not immediately in the pipeline. “What happened happened. Now we have to see the future. Louis, I told him and I have already said it to other supporters, if we have the opportunity, one day, to get him back, we will. The president can confirm it, he is absolutely not against this sporting decision. It is not a decision of the heart, only of the heart. (...) Louis is a very good player, he is a player whose return Toulon can consider in the years to come. Today he is under contract.”

According to the Var technician, he will have to wait until the end of his contract in Hérault. And see if applicable. “In 2025, perhaps we will be able to position ourselves, in any case, we will do everything for it, and we will be able to envisage its return,” he confides to Midol. On the other hand, you don't make a promise if it doesn't happen. Louis will also have opportunities. But, frankly, it's not a subject that we don't look at. »