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A strategy to adapt to the delicate context of the Girondins: the short term
Bordeaux wants to move up to National 1 at the end of the season and there is no plan B in the event of failure. There is no visibility.
What will owner and president Gérard Lopez do if the Girondins have to play in National 2 again next August? Will he hand over the money, or will we once again witness the big laundry of summer? Nobody knows and Gérard Lopez communicates little on this subject: “If we don’t go up? We will have to repeat a season in N2”, he said in September 2024 to Sud-Ouest. There is uncertainty regarding financial resources, especially since the club is in receivership proceedings with a review clause on January 25 and a debt of more than €100 million to be reduced.
In addition, if the staff has signed for several seasons as well as certain players, including Adrien Louveau, it is impossible to know if this squad extends the adventure in National 2 for one more season.
Ultimately, it is a short-term strategy for this transfer window with a desire for immediate sporting contribution.
Especially since Bordeaux is 4th in the standings with 11 points behind first place Saint-Malo. Only the first in group B will be promoted to National. However, Bordeaux are 2 games behind to close this gap, and nothing says that they will be won.
It is therefore in this financial and institutional context that the athlete must organize himself.
Two desired arrivals: A midfielder and an attacker
It is in this state of affairs that the sporting director of the Girondins de Bordeaux, John Williams, and coach Bruno are looking for two players. A central striker, and a midfielder capable of breaking through opposing defenses with forward play, and superior technical quality.
The desired central striker must be able to replace Andy Carroll (35) if the latter is available (injury or suspension). Bordeaux tested a young striker before the break (read here). Regarding contacts with Cameroonian striker Junior Kameni (1.97m, 23 years old), they date from this summer and have not been restarted to date.
Concerning the midfielder position, no name has filtered out either, because the club cultivates secrecy to avoid having its target “stung”. A more technical midfielder with the ability to play forward is targeted. Today, neither Trazié, nor Louveau or Depussay are able to improve Bordeaux's offensive play.
This is precisely the objective of this winter transfer window, to improve the attack, as Bruno Irlès underlined after the Coupe de France match against Stade Rennais: “We want to bring competition to all positions, and there is not necessarily everywhere. But it's complicated, we take a lot of rakes, the players ask themselves questions. For some, it's the financial side that counts. Others prefer to be the 38th player in L1 rather than starting with us. In our situation, we can’t go wrong.”
What departures can be considered?
It's hard to say. Several players could be requested from the Girondins de Bordeaux.
If we take a look at the playing times, we see that winger Safouane Karim (20 years old) is used very little and has only 5 matches for 304 minutes of play, combining his performances in N2, N3 and Coupe de France. He might want to play more and leave the club if an offer arises.
Finally, the good performances of Soufiane Bahassa or Jean Grillot could attract the attention of other clubs. However, it is unlikely that a major player from Bruno Irlès' group will leave Bordeaux before the end of this financial year: “The coach does not rule out anything in the direction of departures. We know that Soufiane Bahassa shone, just like Jean Grillot who was able to attract attention, even if I think it would embarrass him” told us the journalist from L’Équipe Laurent Crocis.
Eventually there should be some minor changes, with one or two departures and as many arrivals. Small reminder, Bordeaux has its payroll regulated by the DNCG and is not in control of its budget.
N.P
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