Football Season Guide

2021 champions League made an abject defence of their title last season and finished 10th in the standings – the first time in three years that they had finished outside the top four. Head coach Jocelyn Gourvennec was an unpopular choice for the role from the beginning and, amid tension in the dressing room, he was replaced by Paulo Fonseca in the summer. Fonseca is expected to make Lille a more exciting team to watch, but his main aim will simply be to make them more consistent and lift them up the standings. It is an achievable goal, despite some key players departing. Off goes Sven Botman after two outstanding seasons at the club, while Zeki Celik has been sold to Roma. Burak Yilmaz, Xeka and Domagoj Bradaric, all key members of the title winning side, have also gone. Crucially, midfielder Renato Sanches will leave before the end of the summer transfer window, while it has all gone quiet over the future of striker Jonathan David, who was one of the few players to continue to improve his trajectory last season for Les Dogues. Beyond David, Lille were inconsistent in attack, with Jonathan Bamba and Timo Weah frustratingly up and down. Mohamed Bayo has arrived from Clermont, but he appears to be a replacement for David as opposed to someone to play alongside him. In terms of their attacking midfielders, Angel Gomes and Edon Zhegrova will expect to contribute more this season, while the arrival of Remy Cabella is an interesting one after a low-key spell at Montpellier last term. He could develop into a key player, while Yusuf Yazici is also back at the club. Jonas Martin is an experienced signing in the heart of the midfield, where he is another destructive player in the mould of Benjamin Andre, while Amadou Onana is likely to provide the energy in that sector. The back four will have a new look, with 38-year-old veteran Jose Fonte the fulcrum of the rearguard. He has not lost any of his qualities. Alexsandro arrives from Portuguese football as an unknown quantity, while the arrival of Akim Zedadka from Clermont looks a solid pick up. Lille cannot lose any more defenders, with Tiago Djalo having also been in demand. Meanwhile, they are also lacking a little in goal, with Leo Jardim prone to conceding cheap goals last term. Improvement is needed all over the field.