32 league matches and formed a centre-back partnership with Ángel Bargas, following Wim Suurbier's departure before the start of the 1979-80 season. During the summer of 1980, the club saw the departures of several key players, including Patrick Battiston and Philippe Redon. Metz finished the 1980–81 French Division 1 season in 9th position, during which Mahut played in 37 leagues matches (he did not play in only one of the club's 38 league matches in that season). He also mentored the club's younger players such as Alain Colombo, Jean-Philippe Rohr and Luc Sonor. Metz's 1981–82 season was weakened by the departures of Souto, Wiss, Desrousseaux, Riedl, Polaniok and Bargas. They were replaced by players of lower quality and this led to the club struggling in the 1981–82 French Division 1 campaign and having to wait until the last round of league matches to find out if it would be in Division 1 the following season. It eventually finished 17th in the 1981-82 Division 1 table and narrowly avoided relegation. In his final season at Metz, Mahut was partnered with the newly recruited Branko Tucak, his third and final centre-back partner at the club. Mahut scored two goals in 34 league matches for his club that season, and those were the first league (Division 1 or Division 2) goals of his senior club career. Saint-Étienne In the summer of 1982, Mahut received an offer he could not refuse - an offer to join Saint-Étienne, a club that he adored. He soon left Metz for Saint-Étienne for a transfer fee of two million francs, an enormous sum at that time for a defender. He played his first competitive match for Saint-Étienne on 10 August 1982, which was the club's first Division 1 match of the season, against SC Bastia. He played 76 matches and scored 2 goals in all competitions in his two seasons there. He scored both of these goals in Division 1 matches, against Nancy (1982-1983 season) and Rennes (1983-1984 season). When Mahut joined Saint-Étienne in the summer of 1982, the club was embroiled in a financial scandal involving a controversial slush fund which would have a negative impact on the match performance of the club over the next two seasons. The club experienced a difficult 1982–83 French Division 1 season, during which their head coach for the past 11 years, Robert Herbin, was sacked (in February 1983) and replaced