Football Season Guide

For the first time in nearly 40 years, Angers will play three successive seasons of Ligue 1 football having equipped themselves well in each of their two previous campaigns. After finishes of 9th and 12th, avoiding relegation will once again be the chief target of the Stade Raymond Kopa outfit who have lost a handful of important players. Although Nicolas Pepe was their big sale, with the winger going to Lille, his status as a hot prospect means that he was not yet a regular in their side. Rather, it will be the loss of physically imposing duo Famara Diedhiou, their top scorer last season, and Cheikh N’Doye, who was arguably the heartbeat of their team, that will tax the side greatest. Numerous others have been allowed to depart too but theywere largely fringe players. Head coach Stephane Moulin is set to persist with the burly approach that has achieved a great deal for Angers over the last couple of years. Enzo Crivelli, who excelled with a poor Bastia side last season, represents a potential upgrade in attack and should provide the hard-nosed approach perfect for the team, while Baptiste Guillaume gets another crack at Ligue 1 after a strong campaign with Strasbourg. He will play second fiddle, however. Angers have gambled by adding a number of players from second-tier outfits to their ranks, with Angelo Fulgini and Saliou Ciss brought in to bolster the midfield from Valenciennes. Both should prove good additions. They have also signed Loic Puyo and Lassana Coulibaly from relegated Nantes and Bastia respectively. While they have not made spectacular waves in the transfer market, Angers have signed players well suited to their style and ethos. However, there could be concerns about the disciplinary record of the team due to the hot-headed nature of both Ciss and Crivelli. Nevertheless, there is a strong foundation to build around, with Thomas Mangani and Romain Thomas the two building blocks in midfield and defence respectively.