ASSE was bought at the end of the season. The Greens went under the Canadian flag, joining the long list of French clubs in the hands of foreign investors. A boon or a risk? Maxime Bossis remains doubtful.
Will AS Saint-Etienne once again become a stronghold of French football? Barely back from Ligue 2, the Saint-Etienne club arrives in Ligue 1 with ambitions. Indeed, it was bought by the Canadian investment fund Kilmer Sports Venture from the hands of billionaire Larry Tanenbaum. The latter is known for its financial solidity and its seriousness in the world of sport. It actually owns numerous sports franchises in Canada. Enough to make Saint-Etienne supporters dream big as Tanenbaum arrived with South African Ivan Gazidis, who previously played for Arsenal and AC Milan.
Bossis remains cautious for ASSE
Amid widespread enthusiasm, a voice expresses a little caution. It is that of Maxime Bossis, the former great defender of Nantes. Often associated with the Canaries, the great Max experienced ASSE in 1996. At the time, he was appointed interim coach of the Saint-Etienne club and notably experienced a change of ownership among the Greens. The regional daily Le Progrès took advantage of his experience to question him about the takeover of Saint-Etienne in 2024. Still traumatized by the current setbacks in Bordeaux, he is awaiting the first concrete actions from Kilmer Sports at ASSE.
« This is in line with what is happening in French clubs with a lot of foreign investors. With the advantage sometimes of injecting money and having a competitive team, but also the danger that they leave as quickly as they came. Bordeaux had the bitter experience of this. I hope it goes well for the Stéphanois “, he analyzed. On paper, given the profile of the entrants to Saint-Etienne, the fears are much lower than those which surrounded Gérard Lopez and before him King Street in Bordeaux.
