French-speaking and knowledgeable about Ligue 1; free, on loan or cheap; experienced but vengeful or young in the making: in the eight and a half years that he has been sports director of Stade Brestois, Grégory Lorenzi has refined over time the typical profile of the player he likes, with the limited means that we know he has. “Players who will enter into the spirit of the club to bring out collective strength,” he says first, before elaborating. We also realized that it was the intensity that made the difference in a match. I always want to take on football players because that’s what drives me. But the high level is also the guys who repeat high intensity races and efforts. In Brest, you won’t be able to have ten technical players, we also need some who like to run.”
Nothing has changed with Europe
Not the type to “fall flat on his back” during negotiations, Lorenzi also wants to keep a salary balance in his locker room. The Champions League could have turned heads with this possibility of eyeing more high-sounding names. Not the house type.
If there were a few failures (Hérelle, Belaïli, Slimani), the Corsican was able to build a solid reputation in the world of sports directors for developing his philosophy, regular in the small blows which became very good resales (Perraud, Faivre , Diallo, Brassier) or in the revival of older elements (Lees-Melou, Lala, Ajorque). A continuity which allows Stade Brestois to renew itself over the years in recruitment.
