Football Season Guide

Orleans are back in Ligue 2 for just the second time in the last quarter of a century and will be hoping to make a better fist of it than on their last stint. Olivier Frapolli's side went straight back down after one season in 2014-15 but bounced back immediately by finishing second in the third-tier Championnat National to Strasbourg in the last campaign. There is continuity at the club, with Frapolli still at the helm. Last season's leading scorer Romain Armand and defender Antar Yahia will have key roles to play. Meanwhile, while the likes of Antoine Ponroy and Gregory Tomas have moved on, Orleans have made some interesting signings. They have brought former Nancy defender Joel Sami, playmaker Karim Ziani and forward Livio Nabab back to the French game after stints abroad. They have also made Pierre Bouby's loan move from AJ Auxerre into a permanent deal and have recruited Farid Beziouen, who was the joint leading scorer in the third tier last term with 17 goals for Avranches. "The first objective is to make sure we stay up," says Orleans sporting director Julien Cordonnier. "If we finish 17th, I'll take that."