AS Saint-Etienne saw the specter of “OGC Nice” floating above Roazhon Park this Saturday. Threatened by Stade Rennais (5-0) during the 13th day of Ligue 1, ASSE could have left with a much fuller suitcase, if Jorge Sampaoli's men had shown more offensive realism.
Another heavy defeat, all the more worrying as Olivier Dall'Oglio's men did not face a great Rennes team. The Greens will therefore have to react next weekend. The problem is that they will face Olympique de Marseille who have two wins against Lens and Monaco.
Still, the major difficulties encountered by Saint-Etienne since the start of the season confirm that the Forez club will have to strengthen itself during the January transfer window in order to give itself the means to maintain itself.
The month of January will therefore be particularly lively for the ASSE sports coordinator, Loïc Perrin, especially since the latter will also have to manage “end of contract” files. In fact, no less than 10 players are reaching the end of their lease in Saint-Etienne.
If Thomas Monconduit, Yunis Abdelhamid, Boubacar Fall and Pierre Ekwah should not be extended, what about Dennis Appiah, Ibrahima Wadji, Mathieu Cafaro, Léo Pétrot, Yvann Maçon and Louis Mouton?
As things currently stand, it is difficult to imagine that decisions will be made in the coming weeks. However, a trend is emerging. Indeed, the idea of squad renewal seems to be the priority whether in the event of retention or relegation.
