Football Season Guide

Guingamp have posted an improvement in each of their three seasons in Ligue 2 since being relegated from the top flight, and they will be particularly encouraged before the new campaign because they finished last term with such a flourish. Although their form at the start of the season was distinctly patchy, a run of seven wins in their last nine games suggests that, after a tricky campaign, head coach Stephane Dumont has his group heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, the summer has checked that momentum, with several of their key players leaving, meaning that Dumont will feel that he is starting to build from scratch again. The attack, particularly, has been decimated, with all of Guingamp’s leading three options leaving the club. Undoubtedly the most pressing player to leave, though, is talismanic midfielder Youssouf M’Changama, who at 31 will be given his first taste of Ligue 1 football with Auxerre. He deserves it, but it is a bitter blow to Guingamp, who revolved so heavily around him. Progress in terms of signings has been slow. Indeed, the only forward-thinking player to arrive at the club so far this summer has been Baptiste Guillaume, who is coming off a difficult spell at Valenciennes and cannot be considered anything like a guarantee of success. It has been a happy surprise, then, that youngster Taylor Luvambo has stepped up in a promising manner in pre-season, yet he is untested at Ligue 2 level. Experienced players have been signed in a defensive capacity, the most impressive of which is Vincent Manceau, who joins after a long spell in Ligue 1 with Angers. He is a penalty specialist. Dylan Louiserre arrives from Niort and Donatien Gomis has joined from third-tier Concarneau. Guingamp’s defence looks in decent order, but going forward they are desperately short of numbers as the season is set to begin.