Football Season Guide

Troyes narrowly missed out on promotion last season, having finished fourth, just three points off the top of the table, when the coronavirus crisis ended the campaign prematurely. They were a little streaky, tending to enjoy periods of good play but interspersing that with a month of defeats, while their record against the better sides in the league was not good. Nevertheless, the board saw enough positive signs to hand head coach Laurent Batlles a three-year contract in the summer, which is a sign of confidence in him. Consistency in the dugout has been matched with consistency in the squad thus far, though they did lose Warren Tchimbembe to Ligue 1 side Metz after he finished the season so strongly. In terms of new arrivals, Dylan Saint-Louis, who has previously had a strong impact in Ligue 2 with Paris FC, has signed and brings with him great flexibility. Levi Lumeka has joined from Varzim in Portugal, where he scored eight league goals after playing off the left. Batlles has confirmed that he wants more competition in attack, though with Yoann Touzghar and Suk Hyun-jun in his armoury, Troyes should be well served in the centre-forward position. Touzghar was outstanding last season until injury, while Suk was excellent in the air and provides a different type of solution. Primarily, it is another creative midfielder they are seeking to provide competition for Dylan Chambost and Maxime Barthelme. Troyes had no big defensive issues last season, and to that end they will have been pleased to be able to retain the rearguard in its entirety to date. Kiki Kouyate was superb last season and offered a major threat from set piece, and Mahamadou Dembele should have a far greater impact after spending much of last season injured.