Football Season Guide

Troyes are back in Ligue 1 after a three-year wait, with Laurent Batlles retained in charge after leading the side to the Ligue 2 title. He is a coach under pressure, though, with owners City Football Group demanding success from this side. There are perks to being owned by the same group as Manchester City, though, with Troyes receiving additional financial clout in the transfer market, both in terms of influence and finance. They have not spent outrageously – at the time of writing a little over €15m – but they have managed to sign players who might have been thought beyond them. Certainly, this is evident in defence, where they have added young full-backs Issa Kabore and Yasser Larouci from Man City and Liverpool respectively on free transfers. Meanwhile, Metinho is an eye-catching arrival in central midfield, with the 18-year-old arriving at Troyes with Manchester City having one eye on his progress. It would be impressive if he were to start often this season. But Troyes are not simply a feeder club for Manchester City. Additions have been made to help stabilise the team in Ligue 1 with experienced figures in French football, notably Renaud Ripart, whose versatility was eye catching for Nimes last season. Rominigue Kouame has finally been added on a full-time basis from Lille, too. As a club owned by the City Football Group, Troyes are expected to play in a certain manner, with a passing brand of football demanded. Indeed, that is one factor that Batlles will be judged upon beyond results alone, so there is some pressure on the coach. Nevertheless, he showed last season that his unique 3-3-3-1 formation was capable of confusing opponents, and now the challenge is making it successful against a higher standard of player.