Maoulida makes Lens switch

The 28-year-old joins the struggling side, currently in the relegation zone, on a three-and-a-half deal.

The move will make Lens the seventh club of Maoulida's, after he rejected the chance to join St Etienne for greater first-team opportunities at the Stade Felix Bollaert.

The former Monaco and Marseille forward, who has only one goal to his name so far this season, also revealed that the chance to work with manager Jean-Pierre Papin was a major factor in his choice.

Maoulida told the club's official website: "When Papin spoke to me, he convinced me that I was their first choice.

"And it is true that the chance to work with Papin, who I watched as a child, counted."