Paris is perhaps the most productive city for player development in the world. But could you beat one of the richest, most global clubs in football using only players from the City of Lights? Martin Vert has been set that challenge.
Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
There is a presence in my office as I settle in for our preseason preparations. I can’t see anything, but I can feel it. It’s the same as the presence in my room. Except it feels more visceral, more real. I have just come from the meeting with Patrice, David, and Steve, so I know I’m not dreaming this time.
“Unleash them. Now is the time.” The heavily accented voice whispers at me. I whirl around in my spinny chair but I can’t see anything. A window bangs shut, and I’m alone. I can feel that, whatever it was, it’s gone. It’s an unsettling experience.
To be honest, I’d rather the voice was whispering to Patrice. If you build it, they will come. Because while we have returned to the top flight for the first time in nearly half a century, the Stade Bauer won’t be our home this year. We’re off to the Pierre-Brisson again.
A complete rebuild is the first job of the summer. I walk over to the whiteboard and slowly, sadly, wipe out the names of those that have left. Homawoo. Sparagna. Cadiou. Even Old Man Ndoye, who had another year on his contract, has decided it’s time to retire. We’re Parisian only from here on out. All in all, we lose half the squad.
The familiar face of Brahima Doukansy is the first through the door. After exceptional performances on loan last season, it really was a simple decision when his contract ran out. I like his versatility too, it’s a long old season. Kevin Mbala also returns, having finished last season as our top scorer. But that was just 10 league goals, so I’m hopeful there’s another option out there for us.
Along with him comes Thibaut Ehling from Lyon. He’s young, and can play on either wing. I don’t think he’s quite there yet, but he can give Barreto some competition. Tristan Muyumba joins from Guingamp too. He’s not as good as Doukansy, but he’ll provide some depth and is more comfortable going forward.
The last of our initial transfers are the superbly named Alpha Sissoko, who I had my eye on last season but who opted to join Grenoble instead, and Mamadou Tounkara, who had wandered off to Portugal for a few years before we brought him back. It’s a start, but we’re not there yet.
Alongside the playing staff, I have decided to let a lot of the backroom staff go and update it to bring us more in line with the standard of Ligue 1. First out is Charly Paquille because, to be honest, he hasn’t added a huge amount to the discussion. In his place comes Stephane Paganelli. He’s got a couple of decades experience and is a bit of a disciplinarian, as well as a decent fitness coach. The Parisian-only policy doesn’t apply to coaching staff, mainly because the filter doesn’t work properly, so among the incoming coaches is Shay Given, to give Fofana a hand. And he’s not the only Irishman heading to Paris.
One of the most troubling positions that we’ve lost players is on the wings. We coped remarkably well when we lost Damien Durand last season, but now we’ve lost Hacene Benali, Owen Maes, Thibault Vialla, and Guillaume Bosca, meaning Barreto is our only option for a position where most of our creativity comes from. So I’ve picked up Neil Farrugia. Injuries have hampered a very promising career – at one point he was training with Man City and being courted by other Premier League sides – but to be honest I was mostly intrigued to pick up a Parisian Irishman. It’s his first move outside of the emerald isle, so it’s a big step for him.
Along with Farrugia comes the much sought-after Ousmane Camara. He’s another that is young and has plenty of space to develop, but he’s got the right stats in the right places and we managed to beat off a couple of Europa League clubs to get him, so I’m delighted. Lamine Fomba also joins us, having been released by Nimes.
I feel like we’re getting close to a full squad now. I’m not sure how competitive we can be in this division now, but at least we’ll have enough players to get through the season. Garissone Innocent comes in as a backup to Fofana, and he’s much better than Anthony Anziani who we promoted from the youth team. Nicolas Senzemba also comes in as well, he’s cheap and he’s probably not Ligue 1 level, but then nothing else about this club is yet either.
Moussa Diarra and Amadou Traore complete the signings before the start of the season. Diarra has cost us €180,000 from Toulouse and is a good, versatile defensive option, while Traore comes from Bordeaux and will play out wide on the wing. He’s another that was wanted by a number of clubs and it’s a marker of our increased reputation that we can nab him. After seven hours sifting through scout reports, we’re finally ready to go for our return to Ligue 1. If only I could find a superstar striker I’d be hopeful. Instead we’ll go into our opening fixture with champions Lyon with Arnaud Tattevin or Kevin Mbala, and hope that they can nab something.
We aim to keep this site ad-free. Please help us by donating below.