Kouceila Boualia to join Espérance after successful stint at JS Kabylie

Espérance de Tunis have agreed a deal to sign Algerian winger Kouceila Boualia from JS Kabylie. Boualia wanted a new challenge away from his native country as Espérance reached an agreement for the transfer with the Algerian Ligue 1 side.

Joli but en solo pour Kouceila Boualia avec la JSK pic.twitter.com/u8YHHZiKNT

— Chebli Ishaq (@IshaqChebli) May 13, 2023

JS Kabylie were asking €800,000 for the transfer to be completed but are now ready to let go of one of their key players in a deal worth €630,000. The attacking midfielder scored five league goals in the 2024/25 campaign, and Kabylie coach Josef Zinnbauer had hoped to retain his services for another season. Boualia, 24, is keen on the move to the Tunis giants as it is widely seen as a step forward in his football career.

Boualia previously stated that he would only play for Kabylie while in Algeria but had opened the door for clubs from other countries.

Now Kabylie will be searching for a potential replacement before the new season kicks off with CAF Champions League qualifying approaching. JSK will face Ghanaian champions Bibiani Gold Stars in the first leg away from home on September 20 following their opening three domestic league matches.

While at Kabylie, Boualia won the Algerian Cup and reached the 2020/21 CAF Confederation Cup final, also becoming a key player during JSK’s participation in the 2022-23 CAF Champions League with two assists. He represented Algeria at U23 level and played for the local national side for four years, most recently appearing in a June friendly this year against Rwanda which Algeria won 2-0.