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Vendée Foot Club La Roche-sur-Yon has secured its first two offensive signings of the summer. Matthieu Villette, a former club striker, returns to Vendée, while Djibril Bangoura, a winger who passed through Saint-Malo, also arrives from the Girondins de Bordeaux. Both arrivals were made official at the end of July 2026, preparing the VFC for its season in Ligue 3, the new fifth tier of French football. A freshly created championship that reshuffles the cards of amateur football and offers an unprecedented showcase to clubs previously confined to regional divisions.
Villette, a well-judged return to his roots
Trained at La Roche-sur-Yon, the 27-year-old striker had left the club to continue his career before settling in Bordeaux.
Matthieu Villette knows the club well. Trained at La Roche-sur-Yon, the 27-year-old striker had left the club to continue his career before settling in Bordeaux. His stint with the Girondins was brief: the demotion pronounced by the DNCG, the financial watchdog of French football, plunged the Aquitaine club into total uncertainty. Several players obtained their release, Villette among the first.
With 174 matches in National 2 and National 3 under his belt, the centre-forward brings valuable experience of the amateur divisions. The Yonnais staff, led by Charles Devineau, counts on his goal-scoring instinct and his knowledge of the dressing room to guide a group that will aim for survival, or even better, in a Ligue 3 whose format is still to be refined. Villette had already worn the Vendée jersey before his departure: this return is not about nostalgia but a well-considered sporting choice, in a club where he knows the automatisms and the environment. At 27, he arrives with the dual status of experienced leader and local lad, a precious combination for uniting a dressing room in full reconstruction.
Bangoura, the bet on youth
Djibril Bangoura, 21, represents a different profile. The attacking winger, capable of playing on both flanks as well as in support of the striker, comes off a notable season at Saint-Malo in National 2. Free, he had signed for Bordeaux hoping to discover the professional world. The Girondins' administrative chaos decided otherwise.
Sud Ouest reports that the young player could not bear the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Bordeaux club. La Roche-sur-Yon managed to be convincing and offer him a stable project. His speed, his drive, and his versatility should bring dynamism to a Yonnais attack looking to surprise in this new championship. The Vendée staff bets on his ability to destabilize defences with his ball control and his runs in behind, qualities precious in a division where quick transitions often make the difference. At 21, he also embodies a bet on the future: a player who, if he confirms, could quickly attract the attention of more prestigious clubs.
A transfer window dictated by the Bordeaux crisis
The two moves illustrate the shockwave Bordeaux is going through. Relegated, sanctioned, in full restructuring, the club with the scapular sees its most mobile elements leave for safer destinations. La Roche-sur-Yon, for its part, takes advantage of this situation by attracting two players who, in normal times, would likely have aimed higher in the hierarchy. The VFC did not hide its delight: the Vendée club acted quickly, aware that such a favorable window would not open again anytime soon.
The VFC begins its preparation with a strengthened squad. The first friendly matches will give an indication of the emerging chemistry between Villette, Bangoura, and the rest of the group. With a 16-team championship and fixtures against professional reserve teams, the Yonnais club approaches this Ligue 3 with the discreet but real ambition of playing spoilsport. In Vendée, they know the season will be long, but the offensive arguments are not lacking to believe in a successful campaign.