Football Season Guide

Nantes will play their seventh-successive season of Ligue 1 football, but they cannot take anything for granted as they approach the latest campaign. The club does it under a cloud, with an open war between head coach Vahid Halilhodzic and the board – one that may yet result in a change in the dugout before the season starts. Halilhodzic has been left unimpressed by the club’s transfer policy this summer, which has seen them lose keystone defender Diego Carlos to Sevilla and Koffi Djidji to Torino, without reinvesting the money in any significant manner. Molla Wague and Dennis Appiah have been brought in on the cheap to help the defence, while the only other permanent signing of note has been winger Marcus Coco. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Alban Lafont will replace the released Ciprian Tatarusanu on loan, and Mehdi Abeid has arrived on a free transfer from Dijon. While the board wants the coach to use the club’s strong youth academy, he does not trust the young players and even last season did not exploit them fully – even when they were playing well. Offensively, this team looks light. Kalifa Coulibaly did a decent job of replacing Emiliano Sala in the second half of last term, but beyond him they do not possess a goalscorer of note, with the majority of options open to the coach very young indeed. Meanwhile, there is not an obvious threat from the midfield either. Nantes are packed with runners, although so far Valentin Rongier remains on their books, despite insisting before the summer he would leave. He is their best bet for goals from that area. Perhaps on the defence looks in finished shape as the beginning of the season approaches, with plenty of options across the spectrum of the back four. This area is liable to be the base around which the team is built. With the fans unhappy with the board’s plans to build a new stadium and unrest between the directors and the coach, conditions going into the new campaign could barely be any worse.