The Paris Lights of the American Football League Europe signed defensive end Valentin Gnahoua on Monday.
Valentin Gnahoua is six foot two and weighs 248 pounds. The 31-year-old from Le Mans, France, made 19 tackles (12 solos, 7 assists), seven tackles for loss, four sacks, and one pass breakup for the Paris Musketeers in 2025.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats drafted Gnahoua in the first round (1st pick) in the 2019 CFL Global Draft. In 2019, he made four tackles on special teams and one forced fumble in 11 games. In 2021, Gnahoua made one tackle on special teams in nine games. In 2022, Gnahoua made seven tackles in 18 games for the Ticats.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed Gnahoua on February 17, 2023. He attended training camp and was released on May 17, 2023. The Paris Musketeers signed Gnahoua on June 15, 2023. In 2023, he made eight tackles (5 solos, 3 assists), 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass block, and one forced fumble in five games. The Musketeers released him in July 2023.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats re-signed him to the practice squad on July 10, 2023. They released him on November 5, 2023. The Paris Musketeers re-signed Gnahoua for the 2024 season. In 2024, he made 25 tackles (18 solos, 7 assists), 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one pass breakup, one blocked kick, and three forced fumbles in 12 games. In the ELF playoffs, he made five tackles (4 solos, 1 assist), 4.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Gnahoua played two seasons for the Berlin Rebels (GFL) with 47 tackles and nine sacks in 13 games. Then, he played one season at McGill University in 2016 with 24 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery in nine games for the Redmen.
