Football Season Guide

Dijon flirted with relegation last season, but survival was their goal and it was ultimately achieved. Stephane Jobard was a controversial appointment a year ago but he guided the team to a strong end to the campaign, with only three defeats coming in their last 11 fixtures. Like many sides, they are going into the new season with broadly the same side they had at the end of the last campaign, with the loss of loan attacker Stephy Mavididi and centre-back Nayef Aguerd the only departures of particular note. Meanwhile, they have sought to strengthen their midfield, with young Romanian Alex Dobre arriving from Bournemouth, Eric Ebimbe coming from PSG’s reserve side and Pape Cheikh, who has failed to make any impact at Lyon, also joining on loan. Last season, they primarily leaned on Mama Balde to be a telling offensive threat, with the winger netting a club-high six goals and adding two assists. Mounir Chouiar, meanwhile remains a great promise but is coming off a season that was badly disrupted by injury issues. Nevertheless, he should be one of their big threats. Experienced striker Julio Tavares remains a pivotal figure, though his strengths are bringing others into play and leading the line cleverly as opposed to goal scoring. In the heart of the field, Didier Ndong proved to be a shrewd pick up last term and should remain a key player, while the defence is experienced but lacking pace. Given they are likely to be defensive for many of their matches, that should not pose an immediate danger, especially as they may well add to their numbers in the weeks ahead. Goalkeeper Arthur Gomis was largely reliable last season after winning the position from Runar Runarsson.