The winter transfer window will be an opportunity for several Ligue 1 clubs to relaunch, including Olympique Lyonnais. For others, like Marseille, the goal will be to consolidate
Ligue 1 clubs no longer believe in Santa Claus, but some hope to succeed in providential recruitment likely to change their second part of the season, such as Lyon, disappointing 13th at the truce, or Marseille, which hopes for “two or three players”, during of the winter transfer window.
Great host of the summer market, with the arrivals of Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma or Sergio Ramos, the Paris SG will be more ant than cicada between January 1 and 31, on the dates of the French winter market.
Barring a major opportunity, the leader of the French Championship does not intend to strengthen during the year, a strategy identical to that of the last four years, with the exception of the transfer of Leandro Paredes in 2019.
We must instead turn to teams in poor shape in the standings, those weakened by the African Cup of Nations (January 9-February 6) or selling clubs in search of cash inflows to compensate for the negative effects. the Covid-19 pandemic and the TV rights crisis.
On a seismic fault, the Olympique Lyonnais, who finished the first leg in the second part of the table, meets almost all these criteria.
On a sporting level, the Rhone hope for the arrival of Iranian center forward Sardar Azmoun, two goals in the Champions League with Zenith Saint Petersburg this season.
Bloodless Saint-Etienne
“He’s a player we like a lot. To me, to Peter »Bosz, the coach of OL, said sports director Juninho in mid-November, interviewed by radio RMC.
Except that the Brazilian, “mentally tired” after two and a half years in his post, left from his post. OL carried out an internal reorganization with the promotion of Bruno Cheyrou, already a member of the sports team. Threatened, Bosz was confirmed to him in his functions at least until “the end of February”, by President Jean-Michel Aulas, in an interview with L’Equipe.
About sixty kilometers away, the leaders of Saint-Etienne, the red lantern of L1, have already applied an electric shock, by appointing coach Pascal Dupraz in place of Claude Puel.
The new technician recommends continuing the treatment: “the transfer window will be important. We must hurry to recruit to strengthen the team, bring more dynamism and consistency in all lines, ”he said after the defeat against Nantes (1-0) on Wednesday.
CAN will deprive him of his top scorer, the Tunisian Wahbi Khazri. An attacker is hoped to make up for his absence, but ASSE’s bloodless financial situation complicates the equation.
Mandanda and Ikoné, Blues leaving?
“We will try to find players in difficulty in bigger clubs, in the form of loans. Files are in progress ”, assured the new sports director Loïc Perrin.
Marseille, third halfway through the championship behind the untouchable PSG and Nice, has players in sporting failure who could soon leave, starting with the French international goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, who has become a substitute. The names of Luis Henrique and Boubacar Kamara, soon to be at the end of the contract, also come up in the discussions.
The OM squad “may have some corrections to make”, admitted coach Jorge Sampaoli, considering that he lacked “two or three players”.
“But there is a budget which does not depend on me”, continued the Argentinian technician. “If that is not possible, we will continue with those who are there. “
Other big L1 teams are counting on the transfer window to regain strength, such as defending champion Lille, currently 8th.
For the moment, it is a sale which occupies the club: that of its French international striker (4 selections) Jonathan Ikoné at Fiorentina. “If Jonathan Ikoné leaves, he will be replaced,” Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec said in an interview with AFP.
But the movement is likely to be limited in the North: “We will see what the transfer window gives. The president (Olivier Létang) said that the idea would be to keep a competitive team, ”Gourvennec summarized.
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