Football Season Guide

Lens find themselves starting a new era this season following the departure of Franck Haise, who had realistically taken the team as far as he possibly could, leading them to within a point of PSG a couple of seasons ago. They were unable to repeat those heroics last season, with European football providing another obstacle that they were unable to contend with. In has come highly rated former Reims head coach Will Still, who is expected to bring a young and exciting approach to the north of France. Many of the principles of the team are set to remain, with the Belgian deploying a 3-4-1-2 formation in pre-season, which was what was typically used last term. Meanwhile, there have been no key players lost during the summer transfer window as yet, even if there has been a lack of notable new faces. Malang Sarr arrives on a free transfer from Chelsea but will probably only provide backup in the middle of the defence, while goalkeeper Herve Koffi is another new face but is simply experienced cover for the reliable Brice Samba. It’s unlikely there will be a big overhaul in playing style in the summer. Facundo Medina and Jonathan Gradit will continue to be mainstays of the defence, with Deiver Machado a key piston down the left and Przemyslaw Frankowski operating a similarly important role on the right. The area where Lens need to improve is in attack. They were too inconsistent in this area last season, with virtually every member of this part of the squad much too prone to either missing big chances or simply having off days. Elye Wahi was a particular disappointment and the young forward faces a major challenge to start this season with Wesley Said, who has been preferred in pre-season.