After five years of waiting, Le Mans FC was back in Ligue 2. At the time, the Sarthois club had suffered from the decision of the authorities to stop the championships in the middle of Covid pandemic (Ligue 2 had been shortened at 10 days by its term and Le Mans had been relegated unlike goals), when almost all our European neighbors had chosen to resume. A scary period that the president of the club, Thierry Gomez, definitely wishes to put away in the box with bad memories. “We want to do what we did not succeed the last time: to settle in Ligue 2”he said on Monday during a pre-season point organized at the La Pincenardière training center. It is not his only ambition. As appetite comes by eating, the 62 -year -old businessman now feeds the desire “To go further than last year in the Coupe de France” (0-2 defeat in the 8th finals against Paris Saint-Germain).
Sometimes tried too economical in recent years, the former Troyes boss promises a budget of around 9 million euros for this season (the DNCG obstacle has been passed without incident). The club can also congratulate itself on having returned to a historic partnership with the Sarthois LDC group, holder of the Le Gaulois and Loué brands, while Thierry Gomez continues his foot calls to MMA, the club sponsor until 2022 via the Naming contract of MMARENA (now stadium Marie-Marvingt). From a sporting point of view, the second in the last national championship was also able to record four arrivals since the start of the transfer window (the medical staff has also been reinforced). One of the most striking is undoubtedly that of Jean Vercruysse (24), passed very close to the rise in L2 with Boulogne-sur-Mer (the Boulonnais bowed in the dam against Clermont). Elected best player of his club this season (34 national games, 7 goals, 7 assists), and member of the typical team of the championship, the player trained in Montpellier arrived freely after the end his contract.
6 still expected reinforcements
Last week, the club also announced three new arrivals: that of the elegant Milan Robin (25 years old), former French international in young people (5 selections in U17) and executive of Martigues this season, that of the right piston Taylor Lubambo, also passed by the youth teams of the French team (1 selection in U18) and arrived free after the end of his contract in Guingamp. Finally, that of the promising midfielder Malang Gomes (4 selections among the U18s of the French team), trained in Nantes like Luvambo, and arrived in the form of a dry loan without option to buy. The club does not refrain from renewing this type of movements from L1 clubs. In recent years, examples of successes have been common, and the latest is that of Vincent Burlet, elected best left side in National this season and back in Lille.
«Yes, indeed, it's possiblesaid Patrick Videira at a press conference this week on the subject. We do not have the will to make 15 loans but if we can have boys who can bring us added value, then there will be no problem compared to that. We will also have to have boys who know the level, may also make bets on some. But we have to feel different players from what we can have today.In the direction of arrivals, 6 reinforcements are still expected: two left pistons, two left defenders, and two attackers. The idea is to see a player landed by post by the end of July.
In the direction of departures, 11 to 13 are already completed, with certain movements in the lot of which the club would have liked to do without. As expected, Burlet and Diliwidi are back in Lille and Lens. Nonnenmacher, Ouchen, Oujdani, Amir, Dekoke and Calodat left the club freely, just like Arnold Vula, top scorer Sarthois last season (17 goals in 27 games) and very courted (Oggad is invited to leave the club, and Lamgahez will sign in Agadir). But it is obviously the departures of the two pure products of the vintage, Gabin Bernardeau (19 years old), in Nice, and Jérémie Matonona (19), in Guingamp, which leave a bitter taste internally.
Find a training center to avoid new cases Bernardeau and Matonona
“Gabin takes a more complicated path when they stayed than staying, it is his choice, that of his parents and his agents”regretted President Thierry Gomez this week. Elected best national player in February and member of the typical team of the season, Bernardeau has indeed signed his first professional contract with the Aiglons, who will play a preliminary tour of the Champions League in the coming weeks. If this signature once again comes to enhance the quality of the Mancelle formation for over 20 years (Didier Drogba, Yohann Pelé, Mathieu Coutadater, Morgan Sanson, Sébastien Corchia, Grégory Cerdan, Yohan Hautcoeur, James Fanchone to name a few), her economic lung, she also highlights the fragility of the system.
«This is also why the idea is to try to quickly take a training center, because there was this inconsistency on which we were fighting. How can you imagine that a professional club, certainly in National, cannot offer a contract to a major player over 18 years olddeplored the president of the National Clubs Association. I don't even know if legally, it holds up. This is the reason why I ardently wish a professional L3 after next season, to erase all these inequalities. This separation from Gabin and Jérémie should have allowed the club to grow, which will not be the case, and it is regrettable because they have spent more than 10 years here. It is a total injustice but it is the reality of football. We will continue to highlight young people even if it is complicated to protect them. ” A first informal meeting is scheduled for August with DTN.
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