Bordeaux (AFP)

Determined, full of ambitions displayed despite a declining budget, the Girondins version USA have so far done in the low-cost to restore their coat of arms, tarnished last spring, and little shine during their summer preparation.

"Wait for the start of the championship, you will see, we will be better". Paulo Sousa is naturally optimistic. Landed in March in Gironde with a plethora of deputies, The Portuguese coach believes hard in his men, his method, his system.

"We need time to build a culture, a sense of belonging for all those who work here," he says, "every player who arrives must feel this culture of winning." Not obvious when his team chained setbacks.

After the six consecutive defeats in L1, in April and May, which have a time to fear the worst, his players have just bitten four times the dust in friendly games played in Austria (1-2 against Partizan, 1 -3 against Wolfsberger and Galatasaray) or in the United States (1-2 against Marseille), for a single victory (2-1 against Montpellier), far from the Gironde where skepticism grows.

Last fall, many had been seduced by the arrival of investment funds GACP and King Street, as much as excited to see the former owner M6 leave, at the end of reign hectic and tasteless sports.

- No "need" to spend? -

New York boss Joe DaGrosa's rousing speech and the 80 million euros promised to start the new era reinforced this sentiment. To professionalize all strata of the club, the arrival of new heads full of ideas to retain a new audience and bring back disappointed Matmut Atlantic had something attractive, refreshing.

"We want to build a top + team + for the future," said Hugo Varela, the Portuguese sports coordinator of GACP, this winter. He added, however, that "we will invest if we need it".

Apparently, one year from the explosion of TV rights that Americans want to take full advantage of, the need does not seem to have been felt. Above all, it was necessary to fill the current deficit, absorbed in large part by the sales of Jules Koundé, probably the best player of last season, Zaydou Youssouf and Dane Lukas Lerager, who brought back about 30 M euros in the crates.

Meanwhile those, if any, internationals present at the CAN as François Kamano and Youssouf Sabaly, or unwanted players away from the group, who could bring some cash to a club that displays 65 million euros of budget (against 70 last season ), and thus unlock the mercato.

- Without real margin -

DaGrosa, during the tour of his team in Washington in the framework of the Ligue 1 Games, had mentioned the coming of "great players" (editor's note). "Our supporters will be happy if everything goes as planned," he said.

In his viewfinder, players of the "Gunner" Laurent Koscielny, or opportunities almost fallen from the sky as the Argentine striker Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors), supposed to provide added value to a qualitatively very average workforce and no real margin on the red zone, if we refer to his last quarter of competition.

"This is not the best year for us, economically, to lead a good market," warns Sousa. "The most important thing is to work with what you have," says Spanish sports director Eduardo Macia, as if to try to get the pill a transfer window until then dull.

For seeing only free players landed - Mozambican defenders Edson Mexer (Rennes), Enock Kwateng (Nantes) and Switzerland's Loris Benito (Young Boys Bern) - and then South Korean Hwang Ui-jo, Gamba striker Osaka for 2 M euros, the doubt has strengthened.

And it is not the decision of the club to establish a complete closed session during training Haillan the last 15 days before the resumption of the L1, and actually chasing fans on hold or on vacation, which will mitigate .

© 2019 AFP