Football Season Guide

Lens are coming off a miracle season in which one of the clubs with a smaller Ligue 1 budget pushed PSG to a single point in the league standings. Franck Haise’s men were exceptional last season and face the difficult challenge of matching that standard while juggling the distraction of Champions League football in the process. Over the summer, they lost two key players. Top scorer Lois Openda, who was spectacular in the second half of the season, went to RB Leipzig and will clearly be missed for what he brought to the attack, but the sale of Seko Fofana to Al-Nassr is a hammer blow as he was the heartbeat of the team. Fofana is a player who is simply impossible to replace, with Toulouse’s Stijn Spierings and Andy Diouf bought from Basel with the job of doing so. Lens have not invested heavily in their squad, despite the prospect of Champions League football. Indeed, this has been an area where they have excelled in recent season, but the loss of sporting director Florent Ghisolfi to Nice last season means that they may just have lost their edge in this area. Angelo Fulgini’s loan spell has been made permanent, while modest deals have been struck to sign Paris FC winger Morgan Guilavogui and Colombian teenager Oscar Cortes. Lens have prolific success in the Colombian market in recent seasons. Key to Lens’ success last season was their togetherness and balance in the squad. This was underpinned by a tremendous industry and spirit fostered by the work of Haise away from the field. They remain a tremendously athletic squad, and that will be their dominant attribute this season as they seek to replicate last term’s achievements. Vital to their efforts will be the defensive triangle of goalkeeper Brice Samba and centre-backs Facundo Mendina and Kevin Danso, while at the other end of the field, Florian Sotoca appears primed to carry a huge offensive burden that he is unlikely to be capable of, despite his endeavour. One huge strength remains: their home crowd, which saw them win 17 of 19 at home in Ligue 1 last season.