Football Season Guide

Reims easily avoided relegation last season, which was the best they could hope for in a season that saw four clubs relegated. Indeed, they have enjoyed three successive years of improvement and are now an established fixture in Ligue 1. They have lost top scorer Folarin Balogun after his Arsenal loan spell expired, but his influence last season was a little overstated because of the number of penalties he scored. Nevertheless, he is a terrific loss for the Champaigne club, who also saw promising youngster Hugo Ekitike complete his move to PSG. Although 12 players have left, this pair, defensive midfielder Dion Lopy and centre-back Andreaw Gravillon are the only ones that truly impact the first team. With an extensive number of players departing, relatively few have arrived. Of those who join with the serious aim of strengthening the team immediately, central defender Joseph Okumu is undoubtedly the most expensive. More modest sums have been spent adding the experienced Teddy Teuma and youngster Reda Khadra to the midfield, while in attack, Reims have plundered Amine Salama from Angers and Oumar Diakite from RB Salzburg, both players of promise rather than those who might shine immediately. Captain Yunis Abdelhamid will have great responsibility in the heart of the defence once more, with Man City left-back Josh Wilson-Esbrand set to get plenty of first-team minutes. The midfield continues to look strong throughout, while in attack Alexis Flips, Junya Ito and Arber Zeneli all offer creativity. The only question is: where will the goals come from? Young head coach Will Still has risen spectacularly to the challenges he has faces at Reims, but this new season brings up a whole new set of problems for the 30-year-old to solve.