Quick Facts
Biography
Yoan Gouffran (born 25 May 1986) is a French footballer who currently plays for Newcastle United in the Championship. Gouffran plays as a striker or a winger and is renowned for his pace and ability to finish with either foot. He was born in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Val-de-Marne.
Club career
On 20 May 2007, Gouffran was awarded Ligue 2 Player of the Season after a successful season with SM Caen which saw the club promoted to the Ligue 1.
Bordeaux
After achieving success with Caen during the 2007–08 Ligue 1 season, it was suspected Yoan would make a move elsewhere. After constant rumors linking him primarily with Arsenal, including rumors of him signing a pre-contract agreement with the English club, Gouffran opted to stay in Ligue 1, signing a four-year contract with Girondins de Bordeaux. The transfer fee was priced at €6.5 million and he officially joined the club on 30 June 2008. After starting the league season off with no league goals after 26 matches, he finally scored his first league goal for Bordeaux on 29 April 2009 in a key match against Rennes, which Bordeaux won 3–2. On the final matchday of the season, 30 May, he scored the winning goal that secured Bordeaux the championship, against his former club Caen who were relegated to Ligue 2.
Gouffran denied league leaders PSG's attempt at winning seven straight Ligue 1 games, when he scored the equalizer in a 1–1 home draw on 6 November 2011. The result meant that Bordeaux had drawn six of their first seven league games.
Gouffran finished with Bordeaux half way through the 2012/13 season with 8 goals in 20 games.
Newcastle United
With only six months left on his contract, Premier League team Newcastle United had a cut price £500,000 bid accepted for Gouffran. On 22 January 2013, Gouffran revealed, via Twitter, that a move to Newcastle was due to happen the following day. "Tomorrow I will be a new player of Newcastle and I am proud. Thanks to everyone." He added: "Big thanks to everyone who has supported me through the good times and bad times. I thank the leadership of the club and the staff for helping me grow I need a new challenge and therefore I hope that you respect my choice. I will follow all the results of the Girondins (Bordeaux)." He was unveiled as a Newcastle player on 23 January, after signing a four-and-a-half year contract and given the number 11 shirt. He made his debut for Newcastle on 29 January 2013 in a 1–2 win against Aston Villa at Villa Park. He scored his first Newcastle goal on 9 February in a 2–1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. On 2 November, Gouffran scored the first goal for Newcastle in their 2–0 win against Chelsea. After the match he received rave reviews from manager Alan Pardew. Gouffran continued an impressive run of form, scoring again against Norwich and then added another goal to take his tally to five for the season when he scored the first of Newcastle's two goals against West Bromwich Albion on 30 November 2013. Gouffran followed this up by scoring Newcastle's only goal in a one-all draw at home to Southampton on 14 December. Following his impressive form, he suddenly became a fan favorite, mainly due to his hard working mentality which was a key factor in Newcastle United's sudden rise toward the top of the premier league standings. On 26 December 2013, Gouffran scored yet again in a comprehensive 5–1 victory over Stoke City at St James' Park, in doing so becoming the first player for Newcastle to score in five consecutive games at St. James' Park since Alan Shearer in 1997.
The following season Gouffran came under criticism from lots of fans as Newcastle avoided relegation on the final day of the season.
Under new boss Steve McClaren Gouffran featured less and was often played out of position in central mid-field. He only made eight appearances as Newcastle failed to survive relegation for a second successive season.
Despite being linked with a move back to France and having his squad number demoted to 20 to make way for new signing Matt Ritchie Gouffran surprised many after being called back into the first team by manager Rafael Benitez and becoming one of Newcastle's most consistent performers picking up three goals in the season so far.
International career
Gouffran was a France U-21 international. He took part in the 2006 U-21 Championships in Portugal, where he made four appearances and scored one goal. He made 22 appearances for the U-21s, scoring three goals.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 26 December 2016
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Caen | 2003–04 | Ligue 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Ligue 2 | 32 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | Ligue 2 | 37 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 37 | 15 | ||
| 2007–08 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 10 | ||
| total | 115 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 116 | 33 | |||
| Bordeaux | 2008–09 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 4 |
| 2009–10 | 32 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 45 | 8 | ||
| 2010–11 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2011–12 | 34 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 37 | 14 | |||
| 2012–13 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 12 | ||
| total | 139 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 19 | 4 | 178 | 40 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2012–13 | Premier League | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| 2013–14 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 39 | 7 | |||
| 2014–15 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 2 | |||
| 2015–16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Championship | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 23 | 5 | ||
| Total | 109 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 17 | ||
| Career total | 363 | 79 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 19 | 4 | 413 | 91 | ||
Honours
Club
Bordeaux
- Ligue 1: 2008–09
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2008–09
- Trophée des champions: 2008, 2009
International
France-19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2005
Individual
- Ligue 2 player of the year: 2007
- Ligue 2 team of the year: 2006–07
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