Wolfsburg loanee Nicolas Cozza relegated

Since 2024, Nicolas Cozza has been a regular in Ligue 1 with FC Nantes. That will all change next season, though. The Wolfsburg loanee started and played all 90 minutes as Nantes fell 1-0 to title chasers RC Lens on Friday, confirming relegation to Ligue 2.

Cozza joined VfL Wolfsburg from Montpellier in January 2023. A promising young defender, he was supposed to add depth for a backline that already included the likes of Maxence Lacroix and Micky van de Ven. Cozza failed to make a start in his first season as Wolfsburg finished eighth, just one point off Europe.

He received slightly more playing time at the start of his second season, but with minutes still hard to come by, Cozza was loaned back to France in January 2024. He joined historic side FC Nantes, who were battling relegation, and became a key player as the club managed to stay up.

The defender returned to Wolfsburg in the summer, but found himself as an unused sub to start the season. In late August, right before the transfer deadline, he was loaned back to Nantes on a season-long deal. Nantes again stayed up, and Cozza was again swiftly sent back to the Ligue 1 side on loan, still without a buy option.

This season, however, the magic ran out. Cozza again was a regular for the club, starting 25 games, but Nantes won just five matches. The Lens loss was the last straw, officially confirming the club's relegation with a match to spare.

He may return to a club in similar circumstances. Like Nantes, Wolfsburg have struggled in recent years and currently sit 16th in the Bundesliga. There is still hope for Wolfsburg, though, with two games to spare.

Cozza has played just 13 games for Wolfsburg in the three-and-a-half years that he has been under contract.