Jacques Ekomié. Credit: Wrexham AFC
Jacques Ekomie arrives at Wrexham with 22 Gabon caps and more than 50 Ligue 1 appearances behind him, but the most revealing part of his record is how dramatically his role at Angers grew last season.
The 23-year-old joined Angers from Bordeaux in 2024 and initially had to adapt to French top-flight football. He made 18 league appearances during his first campaign before establishing himself as a regular in 2025/26.
Ekomie earned a regular place at Angers
Wrexham’s profile of Ekomie highlights the scale of that second-season breakthrough. He featured in 32 of Angers’ 34 Ligue 1 matches as the club finished 13th, missing only two league fixtures.
Research into his 2025/26 campaign shows that 25 of those appearances were starts, with Ekomie playing around 2,240 league minutes. It was a substantial increase in responsibility for a player who had only made his Ligue 1 debut the previous season.
His defensive numbers help add context to the increased playing time. Opta’s figures show Ekomie recorded 33 successful tackles from 39 attempts, alongside 69 clearances and 12 interceptions during the campaign.
There was less end product at the other end of the pitch, with no league goals or assists and six chances created. The available evidence therefore points towards a young left-sided defender whose growing value to Angers was primarily built on becoming a dependable defensive option.
Wrexham have signed Ekomie after his breakthrough
The timing of Wrexham’s move is what makes that progression particularly interesting. Phil Parkinson’s side have recruited Ekomie immediately after the season in which he established himself as a regular Ligue 1 player.
His career has moved quickly. After developing at Mérignac, Ekomie joined Bordeaux’s youth ranks in 2021, made his senior debut in January 2022 and went on to play 30 Ligue 2 matches before moving to Angers.
His international career has developed alongside his club football. Ekomie made his senior Gabon debut against Sudan in March 2023 and had reached 22 caps by the time Wrexham completed his transfer.
That gives Parkinson a player who is still only 23 but has already experienced second-tier and top-flight football in France, as well as senior international competition. He has also shown he can turn an initial adaptation season into a regular starting role.
Nothing about that guarantees the same progression in the Championship, where Ekomie will have to prove himself again in a different league and a different system. But his final season at Angers gives Wrexham a recent body of evidence to work from rather than simply a promising profile.
Ekomie arrived in France’s top flight as a player needing to establish himself and left Angers having appeared in all but two league matches during his final full season. For Wrexham, that development curve may be just as significant as the level he has already reached.
About The Author
