Football Season Guide

Nantes narrowly avoided relegation last season but the historic club will do well to avoid a similar fate this time around. Following a poor campaign, Antoine Kombouare departed the club to be replaced by Luis Castro. The coach enjoyed success last season in Ligue 2 with Dunkerque, where he made the team one of the best to watch in the league with a technical brand of football that was both pretty and effective. Now he faces a greater challenge getting the same quality from a Nantes side that has sold many of its best players over the summer. Virtually the whole spine of the time has been ripped out, leaving the coach to scramble together a new squad. Nathan Zeze and Jean-Charles Castelletto were the outstanding members of the defence last season but both have been sold, which veteran centre-back Nicolas Pallois, who would be third choice, has also departed. Similarly, Pedro Chirivella and Douglas Augusto, starting central midfielders, have gone. In attack, Moses Simon, who was the player who made Nantes tick, has gone to Paris FC, while Marcus Coco has been released. This has been a summer revolution. Nantes have not signed in the same numbers they have got rid of players. Chidozie Awaziem arrives from Colorado to bolster the defence along with free transfer Uros Radakovic. South Korean paid Hyun-seok Hong and Hyeok-kyu Kwon have arrived to help the midfield. These players are unknown quantities at this level. Up front, veteran Youssef El Arabi has had a fine career but it remains to be seen if he can still cut it after joining from APOEL. With Matthis Abline – the only good thing from last season still left about Nantes – likely to be on his way out of the club, he may need to.