Football Season Guide

Toulouse stumbled in the play-offs last season and will be aiming to go one better this time around. They were noted for their exciting brand of football, but it took some weeks to get right and over the summer months they have appointed Philippe Montanier as their new head coach following the departure of Patrice Garande. Montanier is an experienced coach, having previously enjoyed some success with Valenciennes, Sociedad and Rennes. Recent years have not been so kind to him, though, with disappointing spells at Lens and Standard Liege. He will work with a squad that is familiar to one another. The departure of Deiver Machado, a flying left-sided wing-back who provided notable thrust in an attacking sense is perhaps the most notable departure, although the strength of the squad has been further trimmed as Vakoun Bayo, Sebastien Dewaest and Manu Kona have all left after loan deals expired. Crucially, Ligue 2 Player of the Year Amine Adli will surely also depart, probably to one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Also in attack, Wesley Said, the club’s most expensive player ever, has left after two disappointing seasons, the second of which he spent injured. The only returnee of note is Issiaga Sylla, who should replace Machado after a good season with Lens in Ligue 1. Aaron Leya Iseka, a forward who has never fulfilled his potential is also back but the club have made it clear they want him to depart. Indeed, Toulouse are working on strengthening their attacking sector as the start of the season approaches, with Welsh attacker Rhys Healey largely dependent on his striking instincts for success. Despite the balance of transfers tipping strongly in the direction of those departing, Toulouse’s recruitment is measured and heavily based on analytics. Their owners got nearly everything right in this regard last year, so their patient approach is understandable. Nevertheless, after a 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad’s B team on July 14, Montanier underlined how important recruitment will be to his side’s hopes this season. He has used a 3-4-3 and a 3-5-2 in pre-season, with three centre-backs clearly in Toulouse’s thinking, though a 4-3-3 seems a legitimate alternative.