Le Havre bring in Algeria international Ahmed Touba for Ligue 1 campaign

Algerian-Belgian defender Ahmed Touba has joined Le Havre AC from Panathinaikos on loan, strengthening the French club’s defence for the 2026-27 Ligue 1 season.

The 28-year-old centre-back’s move was completed on 27 August 2026 and runs until 30 June 2027. Touba will return to Panathinaikos when the loan ends, with no permanent transfer fee attached to the agreement.

Touba arrives in France after one season with Panathinaikos, having joined the Greek club from Istanbul Basaksehir in July 2025 for €1m. He made three appearances in the qualifying rounds of the Uefa Conference League this season, playing 191 minutes, but had not featured in the Greek Super League before moving to Le Havre.

His arrival gives Le Havre an experienced left-footed option in central defence. Touba stands 1.90m tall and has spent much of his senior career moving between clubs in Belgium, Turkey, Italy and Greece.

He began his development in Belgium with Zulte Waregem’s youth set-up before joining Club Brugge’s academy in 2014. Touba progressed into Club Brugge’s senior squad and was part of the side that won the Belgian championship in the 2017-18 season.

The defender later spent loan spells with OH Leuven and Bulgarian club Beroe before leaving Club Brugge for Dutch side RKC Waalwijk in 2020. He moved to Basaksehir in 2022 after two seasons in the Netherlands, with the Turkish club paying €2m for his services.

Touba’s time at Basaksehir included a loan move to Lecce during the 2023-24 campaign and another temporary spell at KV Mechelen in 2024-25. He returned to Turkey between those moves before making his transfer to Panathinaikos last year.

Le Havre will be Touba’s latest club and his first in France. The move also brings him into Ligue 1 after his recent experience of Greek domestic football and European qualifying competition.

The defender, born in Roubaix, represents Algeria internationally and also holds Belgian nationality. He joins Le Havre under contract through the end of the 2026-27 season, completing a loan transfer from Panathinaikos.