Ilyes Zouaoui has completed a move to SC Toulon, signing as a free agent after a spell without a club, in a deal that takes him into the National 2 – Group C with an estimated market value of €100k. The central midfielder joins the French side on a contract running from 2026-02-02 to 2026-06-30, ending his period unattached and confirming his return to competitive football.
The 22-year-old, who holds both French and Algerian nationality, arrives at Sporting Club de Toulon after leaving FC Martigues and subsequently spending time without a club. The transfer from the “Without Club” status to Toulon has been registered as a free move, with no transfer fee involved, underlining the low-risk nature of the acquisition for the National 2 outfit.
Born in Marseille and standing at 1.83m, Zouaoui is a right-footed central midfielder whose career has largely unfolded within the French system. Before landing at Toulon, he progressed through Olympique Marseille’s U19s, then moved to AC Ajaccio B, Marignane-Gignac-Côte Bleue FC B, FC Martigues B and FC Martigues’ first team, before being released and entering free agency. His contract with Toulon now provides a structured platform again after that period without a club, with the possibility of another free-agent spell looming once the current deal expires on 2026-06-30 if no extension is agreed.
Zouaoui’s market value has fluctuated over recent seasons, peaking at €200k while at FC Martigues before dropping to €150k and then to €100k after his release and time as a free agent. That trajectory reflects both his potential and the instability of his recent career path. The move to Toulon, into National 2 – Group C, situates him firmly in the French league structure rather than in either of his home countries in a national-team sense, with the competition based in France rather than a separate domestic league in Algeria.
His pathway through reserve and B teams in France highlights a player who has consistently operated at a competitive but developmental level, building experience across multiple clubs without yet breaking into the higher professional tiers. There is no available match-by-match data in the provided information, nor detailed statistics on appearances, goals or assists for the current or previous seasons, so any assessment of his recent on-pitch output cannot be quantified from this dataset.
What is clear, however, is that Toulon have opted to invest in a young, dual-nationality midfielder with a grounding at recognized French clubs and a valuation that suggests room for growth. The short contract length also indicates a pragmatic approach: it gives the club time to assess his impact in National 2 while leaving both parties flexibility over his next step, whether that is a renewed deal, a move higher up the pyramid, or another spell as a free agent once the agreement ends on 2026-06-30.
For Zouaoui, this confirmed move to SC Toulon represents a chance to stabilize his career, reassert his value on the pitch, and potentially use the National 2 – Group C platform as a springboard to a higher level, shaping his reputation and future opportunities over the course of this contract.
