Football Season Guide

Lille missed on Champions League qualification last season only by goal difference, enjoying a strong campaign despite some difficulties away from the field. Bruno Genesio’s side were hampered by the fact that Jonathan David and Angel Gomes, two of their key players, were out of contract at the end of the season, and indeed both left. David’s contribution was perhaps blown a little out of proportion by the number of penalties he scored, while Gomes rarely played in the second half of the season due to attitude issues, yet losing two such figures certainly represents a blow. The only other player of note leaving LOSC in the summer was left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, yet this has left Lille short of money to replace their star departures. More may follow. Edon Zhegrova, having been a game-changer in the first half of last season before being hit by injury, could go while goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier could be set for PSG if a replacement can be sourced. Lille have, therefore, worked on bringing young players with potential into the side in many areas, but that has not been the case at centre-forward, where they will lean on veteran Olivier Giroud. After a difficult spell in MLS, this is a gamble. On the wings, Osame Sahraoui will be seeking to step up to become a more consistent performer while Felix Correia and Marius Broholm have been added to Genesio’s side in the summer. The midfield looks an area of strength, although again Lille will be seeking to see Ngal’ayel Mukau, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Ethan Mbappe all progress. They will be anchored by veterans Benjamin Andre, Andre Gomes and Nabil Bentaleb, who provide balance. Remarkably, Lille are still without a starting left-back for the season ahead, while on the right Tiago Santos is hoping to make a big return after a serious injury. He had been making big strides in his overall consistency levels. Equally, in the heart of the defence, Lille are well stocked and have decent experience. Their strength here was underlined by the fact they conceded less than a goal per game last season.