Reims have been working to establish themselves firmly as a Ligue 1 club in recent years but, after finishing in Europe two seasons ago they were back among the pack last term and will be aiming for another season of comfort this time around.
The Champaign side, though, face arguably their biggest test to date. Gone is David Guion, who played such a big role in lifting the club to this level and in has come Oscar Garcia, a coach who flopped during a previous stint in France with Saint-Etienne.
In terms of the tools that he has to work with, Garcia has a relatively unchanged squad. The biggest change, though, is an important one and one that also works against the new coach. Last season’s runaway top scorer Boulaye Dia has been shifted to Villarreal and his goals will need to be replaced. El Bilal Toure, a 19-year-old forward, will be expected to step up to some degree to do that.
Going forward has not been a strength of Reims in recent times, although they do have some good ammunition. Nathanael Mbuku and Arber Zeneli are useful wingers, while Mathieu Cafaro is another strong attacking midfielder when he hits his stride.
Equally, the defensive tools look good. Valon Berisha will hope for an injury-free campaign, unlike 2020-21, while Xavier Chavalerin and Marshall Munetsi are both solid players at this level.
In the heart of the defence, Andreaw Gravillon, who showed some promise at Lorient last term, has arrived on loan from Inter to provide competition to the mercurial Wout Faes and the experienced Yunis Abdelhamid.
There are no issues in goal, where Predrag Rajkovic is one of the strongest goalkeepers in the league.
Target
Comfortable survival is Reims’ goal in this season of transition.
