Football Season Guide

Troyes achieved a solid mid-table finish in Ligue 2 last season after narrowly and controversially avoiding relegation. The status of the Stade de l’Aube club has tumbled since being taken over by the City Group, such that last term’s campaign was a comparative success. ESTAC continue to be largely ignored by their owners, who do not seem to have any particular ambition for the club beyond simply keeping them at this level. Over the course of the summer, they have sold more than €20m worth of player, including winger Cyriaque Irie, a star performer last term, and Abdoulaye Kante, but they barely recruited to strengthen their team. The only two arrivals of significance at the Champagne side have been right-back Lucas Maronnier, a steady Ligue 2 player, and Merwan Ifnaoui, who had a decent rather than stellar season at Red Star. On the other hand, several important squad players have been sold, with the attack apparently needing a complete overhaul after Nicolas De Preville, Pape Ibnou Ba and Renaud Ripart all departed. There appears to be no replacement plan save hoping that Mounaim El Idrissy comes good after a very poor first season at the club. Depth in midfield looks almost non-existent, particularly with veteran Xavier Chavalerin apparently unfancied last season. Youssouf M’Changama, a creative veteran who impressed during the second half of last term, was released. Ifnaoui is his replacement but does not yet have the same pedigree. By contrast, Troyes have lots of defensive options and do at least have some quality here, even if there is not an obvious first-choice keeper behind them. This is a defence-heavy team, which is surprising given the City Group preaches vibrant, attacking football. They did smash Grenoble 5-0 in pre-season but in their other warm-up matches, goals have been hard to come by, and that is likely to be a trend this season.