Joseph Oughourlian had announced news soon in the ranks of RC Lens. The club has just announced the appointment of Diego J. Lopez, former head of recruiting, as sporting director. “The man who has held the role of recruitment manager since his arrival in Artois in June 2024 sees his prerogatives evolve. With a keen eye and an already rich career, Diego J. Lopez introduces himself and shares his vision for the future.”
The 35-year-old, who arrived in Lens this summer, spoke in an interview published by the club. He notably returned to this first transfer window carried out by the new management of RC Lens. “First of all, – and this is positive – I think the squad is even stronger than before. We already had a solid base with players who have participated in Racing’s progress in recent years. These players know how much effort it takes to become an important Ligue 1 team again. They are the guarantors of the club’s values while being leaders on the pitch. It’s a chance to be able to build with them. Will Still and his staff are the centerpiece of the project. The coach has a lot of qualities, personality and determination. In a short space of time, he has managed to make the supporters identify with him. By taking into account his methodology, we have built a competitive squad with players with high potential, others with an already high level and several trained at La Gaillette. From this point of view, the transfer window was successful. Despite everything, the club also wanted to reduce the squad, in particular to meet economic objectives. This objective has been partially achieved.”
What project? What objectives?
Diego Lopez also defines the project that is being set up within the club. “Our leitmotif is to make our supporters proud. This obviously involves obtaining good sporting results, but also by building a team that resembles them, through the recruitment of players who stick to their values and the promotion of young people from La Gaillette. The project is based around three important things: recruitment, training and the establishment of a multifunctional staff. We will work with a lot of energy while keeping in mind the need to also obtain economic results.”
He concludes on the different objectives set on the sporting level: “We will work to be a regular challenger for Europe by obtaining the best ranking in Ligue 1. The Coupe de France is also a competition that is close to our hearts, especially since the supporters have been dreaming of it for a long time. We will do everything to go as far as possible. Everyone at the club is humble but that does not prevent us from having ambition. In each component of RC Lens, we share this desire to make the Lens public proud, to see Bollaert full, to see attractive football and to win. This is what characterizes Lens and this is what must guide our actions.”
The full interview is available by clicking here.
