Promised, sworn, to hear Olivier Létang, the president of Losc, Jocelyn Gourvennec is not a choice by default. Announced Monday and presented this Wednesday at the domain of Luchin, the successor of Christophe Galtier on the bench of the reigning French champions ticked all the boxes according to the boss of the northern club.
“The first criterion was a dynamic coach with desire and a lot of energy. We also wanted a unifying coach, manager, with personality. We wanted a coach who had the ability to work with a staff that works and works well. We wanted a coach who had the ability to integrate young players, who speaks French, who has experience in Ligue 1 and at European level, ”explains Létang.
“I met four people, no more”, assures Olivier Létang
And it doesn’t matter if Gourvennec has never known the Champions League as a coach, his profile would therefore stick perfectly to Losc. Why then wait more than a month and the announcement of Galtier’s departure wishes to announce his successor five days after resuming training? “We were in great demand but there were few people who matched the profile. I met four people, no more, ”assures Létang, who therefore waited for Galtier’s official departure from Nice to make his choice.
In the short list were Laurent Blanc, Patrick Vieira, Lucien Favre and therefore Jocelyn Gourvennec. Without a club for two years and the relegation of Guingamp to Ligue 2, the 49-year-old technician, who became a consultant on Canal +, was clearly not a favorite and now appears as a choice by default. Moreover, his appointment surprised and even disappointed supporters on social networks who expected a slightly more solid CV. A rather cold welcome which did not seem to destabilize Gourvennec.
Cast two more years?
“I understand the problem. When you are a coach, you are always very exposed. Everyone has the right to express themselves, but I don’t want to get into that debate. I put my energy on essential things to know how to ensure the transition between the wonderful season achieved by Losc last year and what will happen in the coming weeks. We are going to get down to it, ”assures the new Lille coach very calmly.
In terms of ambitions, the French champion has already announced that he is aiming for a European qualification next season, namely the top 5. To get there, Gourvennec, who landed alone in the North and will have to work with the staff in place, assured that ‘he will not make the revolution by hammering the term “continuity”. It remains to be seen what workforce he can count on. If the club continues to discuss a new two-year lease with José Fonte who expired on June 30, the transfer window could be agitated in the North. At the departures already announced from Maignan and Soumaré, others could soon follow (Sanches, Ikoné, Bamba…).
A club in economic difficulty
Despite its title of champion, Lille is not doing well economically even if it has just passed without a hitch in front of the DNCG. The misconduct of the Covid-19, the crisis of TV rights but also the legacy of the Lopez era, a predecessor with whom Létang will clearly not go on vacation.
“When I arrived on December 21, I said that the club was going to be in insolvency at the beginning of January. It is something factual. Money has [depuis] been invested by shareholders. We are living in a difficult period. The club is in a complex situation. We need to find solutions to restore economic stability to the club. There is a change in strategy. When you have the obligation to sell between 100 and 150 million euros net of players each year, you find yourself in difficulty especially when the Covid arrives. You are also in difficulty when you no longer take players out of the training center. It’s been five years since a player from the training center no longer plays in a pro team. We must therefore find solutions, ”explains the president of Losc.
No more Lopez / Campos player trading pushed to its climax, Lille will return to a training policy neglected in recent years as evidenced by the ranking of the northern club (24th) in this area. Doing almost as well with a lot less resources, that is the complicated equation to which Jocelyn Gourvennec will quickly have to answer. “It is a challenge taken up, I am perfectly aware of it”, recognizes the new Lille coach in front of the immense site which awaits him.