Former Magpie Marveaux makes Lorient move

Without a club since released by relegated Newcastle United in May, midfielder Sylvain Marveaux has returned to his homeland to join Lorient on a one-year deal.

Marveaux, 30, enlists with Sylvain Ripoll's side on a free transfer, the club announced Friday.

The move marks Marveaux's third Breton tenure following a year-long loan spell with Guingamp and a decade with Rennes, where he progressed from the academy to the first team. It was with Les Rouges et Noirs where the local boy emerged under the tutelage of Frederic Antonetti, particularly during the 2009-10 season.

"I am very happy to sign with FC Lorient and return to the Ligue 1. It's a new start for me. I want to start on an interesting project. I was looking for an environment in which I could develop myself and be serene. This is the case here in Lorient," Marveaux said Friday after passing a medical with the club.

Marveaux's release from Newcastle was hardly a surprise during a summer of flux for the Magpies.

Demotion to the second tier saw Marveaux and Gabriel Obertan let go on the same day coupled with departures for mainstays Andros Townsend, Papiss Cisse, and defensive duo Fabricio Colocccini and Steven Taylor.