Football Season Guide

Ligue 2

France

Ligue 2

2016/2017

AJ Auxerre

In

Lionel Mathis (mid) from EA Guingamp; Yoann Touzghar (att) from Club Africain (TUN); Remi Fournier (def) from Red Star; Mickael Tacalfred (def) from Stade de Reims; Baba Traore (def) from Bourg-en-Bresse

Out

Vincent Gragnic (r) (att) to RC Strasbourg; Gregoire Lefebvre (r) (mid) to Red Star; Sebastien Puygrenier (k) (def) to US Creteil; Thomas Fontaine (r) (def) to Clermont Foot; Gregory Berthier (sp) (mid) to Stade de Reims; Pierre Bouby (sp) (mid) to US Orleans; Sohny Sefil (sp) (def) to Asteras Tripolis (GRE); Ibrahima Seck (r) (mid) to Waasland-Beveren (BEL); Salimo Sylla (r) (def) to Sint-Truiden (BEL); Sehrou Guirassy (r) (att) to LOSC Lille - loan ended.

It is all change at AJ Auxerre, where after four seasons of underachievement in Ligue 2 they have brought in a new coach and are hoping to finally mount a serious promotion challenge. The Burgundy club finished ninth and then eighth in the last two seasons under Jean-Luc Vannuchi. He has left for Gazelec Ajaccio with the former Romanian international Viorel Moldovan named as his successor. The 44-year-old, who played in France for Nantes, winning the top-flight title with them in 2001, was appointed on a two-year deal and took over after working as an assistant coach with Romania at Euro 2016. Moldovan is overseeing a significant rebuild of the squad at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps and has seen the likes of Sebastien Puygrenier, Ibrahima Seck and the injury-prone Vincent Gragnic move on. However, Lionel Mathis, Yoann Touzghar, Remi Fournier and Mickael Tacalfred all provide experience and Moldovan will look to add more before the transfer window shuts. "It was one of my dreams to come back to France as a coach," Moldovan said. "My ambition is to work hard and win promotion. Auxerre are a club with so much history behind them. This club belongs in Ligue 1."

Target

A concerted promotion challenge