Football Season Guide

Clermont tailed off badly towards the end of last season but might have finished in the playoffs had they successfully kept their concentration through to the end of the campaign. Reaching such heights again appears unlikely, however. As has often been the case in recent season, the Auvergne side have been forced to replace key figures in their side, though they probably did not count on losing as many as six regular starters to this point of the summer. Florian Aye, who was their most prolific attacker by far last season, has notably been sold to Brescia, while at least the departures of Franck Honorat and Remy Descamps, who were on loan, could be planned for along with those of Manuel Perez and Alpha Sissoko, who left on Bosman moves. Matheus Pereira Lage’s likely departure to Brest would be another unwelcome blow. Clermont have successfully replaced players before, but rarely have had to overhaul their squad having lost so many important figures. They have been forced to do so on a shoestring, too. Adrian Grbic has arrived from Altach in Austria but is an entirely unknown quantity at this level, while David Gomis joins having had a decent season with relegated Gazelec Ajaccio. Neither offers any guarantees, however. It has mostly been the defence that they have focused on shoring up, though they have not done so with any experience as such. Cedric Hountondji should prove a solid arrival, though he may struggle to mitigate the sale of Julien Laporte to Lorient, while youngsters Till Cissohko and Driss Trichard have arrived from Bordeaux’s reserve ranks. Clermont will have to lean more heavily on players who did not necessarily hit their straps last season, with the likes of Johann Gastien and Jason Berthomier expected to take greater responsibility. Key will be the way they recruit before the end of the transfer window, with the club adamant that they wish to sign at least another three players, including a new first-choice keeper.