Since the takeover of SM Caen – which hosts Grenoble this Saturday – by Coalition Capital, led by Kylian Mbappé, the Norman club is gradually structuring itself, too slowly according to some observers. The results are not there (16th) but the ambitions remain intact.
Wherever he has been, so far, Kylian Mbappé has succeeded. Monaco, PSG, French team, Real Madrid (after a few difficult weeks), the striker knows little failure. But managing events when he is not on the pitch, the captain of the Blues has never done it, and the observation after almost six months as owner of Caen is quite clear: the club is in sporting danger and the changes are coming slowly. Too gently to save the club from disaster?
Relatives of Mbappé at the management
On December 29, the club announced its first strong choice: Nicolas Seube, coach of Caen and former historic player, was fired. The fault lies in a failed first part of the season and 16th place in Ligue 2. His replacement is Bruno Baltazar, a Portuguese coach that no one knows, ex-technician of Radomiak, in Poland. An appointment made by the Mbappé clan and a new stage in the takeover of the sports sector, still in motion elsewhere. Because the new owners were in no hurry upon their arrival, wishing to observe and make a rather smooth transition while placing trusted men in strategic positions.
In the presidency: Ziad Hammoud. This financier runs Interconnected Ventures, the company which brings together Mbappé’s interests (content creation, marketing, consulting, image rights, etc.) after also passing through the Bein group. He is therefore very close to the family of the world champion, with whom he is frequently in contact, particularly on the subject of Malherbe. As technical director, Gérard Prêcheur took over at the beginning of August. The former PSG women’s coach met Kylian Mbappé during his younger years at INF Clairefontaine and remained close to the player’s family. The two men spoke very frequently at the start of the project about the direction to take for the project. Another desired change: sports management. The “DS” in place before the change of direction, Yohan Eudeline, was pushed towards the exit. He no longer plays a role at the club but remains an employee, a situation which still continues today. At the time of writing, no successor has been named but Reda Hammache, who until now worked for Red Star and worked with Mbappé when he was a scout in Monaco, is expected shortly.
“That’s the biggest worry.”
But the current void at this position poses a problem, according to the entourage of several players: “there is no relationship with Prêcheur. You feel that he marks a clear distance from the agents and that he is rather in one direction sport to give to the club internally He is close to the coach, the educators of the center but it is not he who influences the future of the players who could come to Caen or leave. moment, for me, it’s the most big problem. Eudeline was not replaced.” A lack of interlocutor disturbing for the players, especially since the change of ownership changed or blocked certain summer movements at the last moment. Alexandre Mendy, who had been promised a departure, was ordered to stay, like other elements. Some people have difficulty projecting themselves. And could not tell anyone about their complicated relationship with the former coach.
“It’s a mess and no one is there to talk about it, adds an agent. It’s not structured at the moment. To defuse, you need a DS or other to make the link between players, coach and managers .” Ziad Hammoud, the president, does not particularly like managing the pure sporting aspect, for a reason he admits: he doesn’t know much about it. “Ziad doesn’t have the answers to give, he doesn’t know,” says a good connoisseur of Caen. Furthermore, he is only at the club a few days a week. The organization chart is expected to become better structured in the coming months, as the project is long-term. Josselin Flamand, involved in another company belonging to the Mbappé until now, was formalized as new general director a month ago.
Nutrition, physiotherapists and training
Despite these few beginnings in management, everything is not to be thrown away, since changes have been made in Caen’s daily life to improve performance under the leadership of Gérard Prêcheur. The latter quickly noticed the gaps within the club. Particularly regarding nutrition. A renowned chef has been recruited and a separate room is made available for communal meals. The professional locker room has also been redone and redesigned to make it more practical and functional. In terms of equipment, a high-tech weight room has also been created for professionals, and the GPS for training has been renewed. Two physiotherapists, a video analyst and a new goalkeeping coach have arrived at the training center, where audiovisual equipment has also been added. A physical trainer also signed. And management assures that these investments are not over.
-“Today, I have the feeling that they are putting in place the foundations, their men with their methods to build something solid and lasting over time,” defends the president of the SM Caen association Jean-Luc Pignol . He manages young people up to 13 years old, organizes internships, professional training and football for veterans. He and Johan Gallon, manager of the association, are in close contact with the presidency of the professional club. “We feel that Gérard, Kylian Mbappé and those close to him are starting to put an imprint on the club with a level of demand, the search for perfection and performance, with the permanent concern to manage the details,” he adds. They are not doing anything, they could have brought ten players from the start, but no, the desire is to lay the foundations and build on them. It’s true, for the moment, the only recruitment with the “Mbappé” stamp is Yann Mvila, close to the family. Jean-Luc Pignol also underlines the involvement of investors for the entire ecosystem in Caen.
Kylian Mbappé and his mother at the helm
“We have a vision of football and the desire to put together a seven-year technical training policy up to professional level. We are in close contact and we talk about the same football, a football of possession. We are on the same length Gérard Prêcheur has a lot of experience from his time at Clairefontaine in training. His vision is clear, precise, his methods have been proven, praises Pignol. He has a lot of experience and we benefit from it. well-established training and which have proven themselves.”
So far, the communications of the leaders are framed and Gérard Prêcheur notably expressed himself, in a podcast with local media on the style that he wishes to instill in the young teams: “When I spoke to him on the phone, Kylian asked me two things: that we play at Malherbe the same game that we produced when he was a resident of the INF Clairefontaine (2011-2013) and that I be as demanding with the young today as I was with him then. […] We are going to advocate a technical game, on the ground, less direct, more axial and oriented towards the goal.” The arrival of Mbappé has not broken the dynamic of the club’s involvement in the territory either. For example, partnerships with amateur clubs in the region, initiated before the takeover, have been signed.
But the locomotive of a club is the results of the pros and at this level, Caen does not respond. The supporters are getting annoyed and ultras displayed a clear banner during the defeat against Clermont: “Mbappé, the SMC is not your toy!” Enough to create some additional concerns for Kylian Mbappé? If the player closely follows the performances of the Normans – and does not hesitate to congratulate them during victories – his mother, Faïza Lamari, is also very involved and sometimes appears in the stands, particularly at the end of the summer.
The player is involved but also delegates to his teams to concentrate on his playing career. The transfer window could provide some answers. For the moment, only defender Alex Moucketou-Moussounda has arrived, while waiting for one or two other profiles. “The ambition is still there,” we assure in high places. In the short term, it is about maintaining, before hoping to play for the rise or even Europe in the medium term.
