On the verge of changing majority shareholder with the arrival of the owners of LVMH and Red Bull, Paris FC is currently having a solid start to the season in Ligue 2, supported by a workforce designed to aim for direct promotion. Waiting to switch to another dimension?
Revolution to come in French football. As revealed this Wednesday by L’Equipe and confirmed by RMC Sport, Paris FC will be bought by the family holding company of the Arnault family, the third largest fortune in the world, which will enter into exclusive negotiations next week to acquire the majority of shares of the current leader of Ligue 2. In this major project which could change the French football landscape, we also find a (minority) partner of choice: Red Bull. The energy drink brand will be the footballing endorsement of the second Parisian club.
The ambition is clear and obvious: to conquer Ligue 1 in the short term, to the top of the L1 table in the medium term, and, surely one day, to compete for European places. In the meantime, the PFC sits at the top of Ligue 2 with 18 points taken in the first eight days, two steps ahead of a duo made up of Lorient and Dunkirk. Metz (15 points), Annecy (15), Grenoble (13) and Guingamp (13) follow in ambush, while other potential candidates for the elite like Clermont, Ajaccio and Caen have for the moment fallen behind.
Fifth, fourth, seventh, and fifth in recent seasons, the club of president Pierre Ferracci has clearly set itself the objective this year of aiming for one of the first two places, synonymous with direct advancement. Which would be a logical progression for this team which returned to Ligue 2 in 2017 and which hit hard during the last summer transfer window. In addition to retaining the majority of its best elements, like the elegant attacking midfielder trained in Bordeaux and very popular Ilan Kebbal, who has just returned until 2028, the PFC has been able to attract heavyweights.
A workforce designed to aim for direct ascent
Let us cite the promising right back Mathys Tourraine (23 years old, ex-Grenoble), the Ivorian international striker Jean-Philippe Krasso (Red Star of Belgrade) and obviously Maxime Lopez (ex-Sassuolo). The surprise signing of the former OM midfielder (26 years old), who came to join his brother Julien, was unanimously perceived as a huge blow on the scale of the L2, and the confirmation of ever higher ambitions. With more than 200 matches played in Ligue 1 and Serie A, Lopez quickly established himself as a central piece of this PFC 2024-2025 vintage. An executive capable of pulling this squad to the top, in the same way as former Lyonnais Timothée Kolodziejczak, promoted to captain.
“There are 7-8 teams that can move up. We want to move up to L1, we’re not going to hide. We know that we’re going to be expected and favorites from time to time in certain matches. If we have this ambition , we must be able to manage and control these expectations. We will have to be enduring, rigorous and demanding all season”, explained this summer to the Parisian, coach Stéphane Gilli, who arrived in 2023 to replace Thierry Laurey, and was extended this Wednesday. until 2026. By focusing on stability, with a group both experienced and full of promise, like goalkeeper Obed Nkambadio, 21 years old and silver medalist with the Blues at the Olympic Games, the PFC began the season very strong, before experiencing two defeats, then reacting with three successes.
For their part, the future bosses of the club plan to rely on the pool of young talents in Ile-de-France to develop their project. At present, they will not change either the coach or the management team in place. On the other hand, in the winter transfer window, reinforcements “far from Ligue 2 standards” are expected, as a source close to the matter told RMC Sport. Something to dream even bigger.
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