Former Blackpool forward Armand Gnanduillet has described his decision to leave the club in 2018 as a 'bad decision' from a sporting perspective, before a dramatic 14-hour flight brought him straight back to the Fylde Coast.
The 34-year-old, who made 145 appearances and scored 43 goals across two spells with the Seasiders, reflected on the period in an interview this week.
The Bowyer years and a South African stint
Gnanduillet's first two years at Bloomfield Road came under manager Gary Bowyer. "I left Blackpool," Gnanduillet said. "At that time, it was Gary Bowyer - who is a good guy, but during my two years, we didn’t really understand each other with the way he wanted me to play."
His contract ended and he moved to South African side Baroka, but the switch lasted only a couple of months. Feeling it was a mistake, the then 26 or 27-year-old striker sent a text to Bowyer to arrange a return. He boarded a plane and flew for 14 hours, going directly from the airport to the training ground.
A prolific return and promotion
That decisive action changed everything. Gnanduillet enjoyed a strong season back in tangerine, starting to score lots of goals. His second spell culminated in the club's promotion to League One, though his time at Blackpool ended for good in 2020 when the season was curtailed by Covid with the side in play-off contention.
Looking back, Gnanduillet offered a nuanced view of his choices. "Sometimes I think about this - and in sports terms it wasn’t a good decision, but as a human being, it was the best decision of my life," he said.
The club he left behind now sits 10th in League One, having taken eight points from their opening six matches. Their recent form shows one win, one draw and three defeats from the last five, a run they will aim to improve starting with a home game against sixth-placed Plymouth on Saturday. Fans can check the full schedule on the club's fixtures page and see how the squad is shaping up in the current standings.
Gnanduillet's story is a reminder of the unpredictable paths careers can take, and for Blackpool, his return proved a catalyst for a successful period that fans still remember.
More detail at Blackpool Gazette
