Football Season Guide

Valenciennes faded in the second half of the 2020-21 season, rather stumbling to a disappointing finish in the lower half of the table. Performances led to head coach Olivier Guegan, but unlike many of his counterparts in Ligue 2, he has managed to keep his job. Valenciennes’ financial difficulties persist, however, and that means that they have been extremely limited in terms of what they can do in the transfer market. Indeed, there has been a significant cutback in terms of their playing staff. Several key players have departed, including midfielder Jaba Kankava, who was hugely impressive in the second half of last season, and goalkeeper Jerome Prior, who departed after a row with the club. Additionally, the experienced Malek Chergui has been released due to his failure to stay fit. No first-team player has yet arrived to replace those who have gone. Lucas Chevalier is the only additional body to the squad, yet Lille’s third-choice goalkeeper is expected to play backup to Hilel Konate in goal. Nevertheless, Valenciennes have plenty to be competitive at this standard. Promising centre-back Ismael Doukoure remains and should be handed a more prominent role, while in the full-back areas there is sufficient strength and depth. However, Valenciennes cannot hope for the contribution that was made by Joffrey Cuffaut last term as he scored 10 goals, making him second-top scorer behind Baptiste Guillaume, who also remains and will have a very important role to play in attack. The midfield is extremely young. Sessi D’Almeida is the elder figure in this area at just 25, although there is quality in this sector if it can be harnessed in the correct manner. Aymen Boutoutaou is a promising youngster while Julien Masson is a player of quality in the centre. In attack, beyond Guillaume, there is a lack of depth. Gaetan Robail is, on paper, an excellent player but he did not show it last season, while Arsene Elogo blows hot and cold and backup forward Issouf Macalou is rather unproven after a mediocre spell since arriving in January.