“It kept me awake”, why Gregory Lorenzi didn’t leave Brest

Gregory Lorenzi has had a very eventful summer. Whether before the end of the season and Stade Brestois’ historic third place, synonymous with direct qualification for the Champions League, or during the transfer window, the forty-year-old sporting director was the target of many Ligue 1 and foreign clubs who tried to poach him. The price of fame. The main person concerned, praised for his qualities, his network and his vision, explains to Figaro on his choice to stay in Finistère, despite approaches from Rennes, Monaco, Lens and even Nice.

” I didn’t have this intention of leaving, I had one, then two, then three, then four requests, that makes you think.he admits to us clearly and frankly. We can’t be insensitive because these were clubs at a level above Brest. Abroad, people came to me to find out if I was open… It’s different. In France, they really wanted me. It came from all sides and it was hard to manage.” Open to discussion, Grégory Lorenzi, who obtained a salary increase from his president Denis Le Saint, who wanted to keep him, met with various interlocutors. In particular, on several occasions, François-Henri Pinault, chairman of the board of Artémis, the holding company that controls Stade Rennais.

The main person concerned, without naming the clubs, says a little more. It started before the end of the championship and it got worse. When that happens to you, you ask yourself questions, but I quickly told myself that the decision I would make would be the right one. It’s better to have lots of requests than none at all and be there looking for work. The summer was eventful. » Asked again whether this period had disturbed him, with salary proposals more in line with his new status and a financial windfall for recruiting higher than in Brest, Grégory Lorenzi does not dodge the issue. Sincere. ” It stopped me from sleeping, it was heavy, even my relatives, like my parents and my brothers, my wife lives with me so she knew everything, did not dare ask me the question anymore, it was becoming unbearable. » Asked about the subject, Denis Le Saint, president of the club, responds with a dose of bluff: « He didn’t tell me he was leaving, so he’s staying. It’s normal that with the exposure he’s had, he’s in demand, that’s life.. »

Why didn’t he leave then? While having the greatest respect for Brest, I did not want to enter into a war with anyone.says the main person concerned, who enjoys full powers and total freedom at SB29, a situation that he would not necessarily have found within the clubs mentioned above. Not all the planets were aligned after weighing the pros and cons. I didn’t feel the timing was right. You have to enjoy the praise, but it’s the best sleeping pill. It gives me more strength to continue wanting to perform.. » Last January, he told us that he wanted to stay until the new stadium was built, scheduled for 2027. Anything is possible.

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