Football Season Guide

Reims were left rocked late last season as Will Still, their highly rated head coach, departed the club in the closing weeks of the championship. It came about after a long period of poor form, though the season as a whole was successful, with the Champagne club finishing just outside of the top 10. The club has picked up Luka Elsner from Le Havre, who has shown himself to be a capable manager from his time with HAC but also with Amiens. This is, however, his biggest job to date in France. Elsner will inherit a squad that is similar to the one that finished last season. There has, however, been significant movement in defence, which promises to test Reims. Thomas Foket and Yunes Abdelhamid, who were both starters, have both departed the club, while youngsters Ibrahim Diakite and Cheick Keita have also left. The only player to be signed is Cedric Kipre, who unsurprisingly reinforces this area. Even with the arrival of Kipre, Reims look short defensively, particularly at centre-back, where they only have three natural players. This has the potential to cause real issues if there are no more additions made before the end of August. The midfield, meanwhile, also looks a little short of defensive players, particularly as Amir Richardson could miss some time after being a part of the Morocco side that won bronze at the Olympics. There is more depth in the attacking area, where Kamory Doumbia returns after a successful loan at Brest to add to a unit that already boasts the exciting Teddy Teuma. Similarly, Reims are well set offensively, with Keito Nakamura and Junya Ito both excellent options out wide. Through the centre, they are not nearly so strong, with youngster Oumar Diakite and Mohamed Daramy carrying much of the threat.