Football Season Guide

France’s oldest club, Le Havre were the class act in Ligue 2 last season and won the title with some to spare to secure their first top-flight campaign since 2008/09. That term ended with Le Havre finishing rock bottom of the league after winning the second tier and HAC will be eager to avoid history repeating itself. Luka Elsner remains in charge after guiding HAC to promotion largely off the back of having an efficient side. They conceded only 19 goals last season but will find life much harder among French football’s big guns. Last season saw Ajaccio promoted with an outstanding defence only to toil to cope with the step up, despite adding to their side. Le Havre have taken a different approach. Instead of resting on their defensive laurels, they have strengthened with experienced players in this area. Yoann Salmier and Loic Nego have played plenty of games at a good level and will bolster the team. Otherwise, it has been about supplementing the squad. Midfielder Daler Kuzyaev is the most interesting addition to the team in the heart of the midfield, where Rassoul Ndiaye is their most expensive addition at €1.5m. Issa Soumare and Kandet Diawara are fresh additions on the wings. Offensively, Le Havre lack an outstanding figure. Last season, they had three leading scorers on just six goals each, highlighting a lack of attacking power in their side. Worse, Victor Lekhal, one of these players has departed. Similarly, joint leading assist maker Jamal Thiare has left. The Normandy side are clearly deficient in attack and will find the going even harder at this level, with no attempt yet made to solve this problem. Elsner arguably had a stronger squad with Amiens that he failed to keep in Ligue 1 in 2019/20, and he must hope that this time his side can fare better.