Rennes (AFP)
A nice transfer to assume its ambitions on the stage, a succession of turmoil behind the scenes ... Long anachronistic island of stability and modesty, Angers celebrated its five years in the elite by becoming a Ligue 1 club almost like the others.
From the opening of the transfer window in early January, Angers struck a blow by bringing in Paul Bernardoni, goalkeeper of the France Espoirs team, for four years, for an amount estimated at more than 7 million euros (excluding bonus). A record and a change of philosophy for this club specializing in the resale of young players recruited at low cost.
"But I'm young too!" Reacts the 23-year-old goalkeeper for AFP. "I want to grow with the club. I think we are about the same level. We are in a phase where we know who we are but we remain humble, and we are still ambitious."
"The real difference is the financial investment," Sébastien Larcier, the new sports director, who arrived from Dijon in the spring, told AFP. "We had to make an effort in this position to have certainty and continue to grow with a goalkeeper who makes the difference, who earns us points, who is identified in French football as a goalkeeper of the future, so with also a potential for resale ".
"Before thinking of + trading +, we must first think about having successful seasons, to maintain ourselves and if we are competitive, to see higher. If we are good, naturally we will come and get our players", adds -he.
- Internal earthquakes -
Along with the investments in the team, the club has renovated its internal structures and is investing in its infrastructure: a new stand is under construction at the Raymond Kopa stadium (delivery scheduled for winter 2021), the training center is improving, the training center is developing ...
But at the same time, the Angers SCO suffered a series of internal earthquakes, with first the indictment in February of its president and owner Saïd Chabane for aggravated sexual violence after complaints from four young women, employees or former club employees.
In March, Mr. Chabane appointed a deputy chairman, Fabrice Favetto-Bon, to be able to step back. And the next day, another clap of thunder with the dismissal of Olivier Pickeu, emblematic sports director since 2006, before a dismissal for "serious misconduct". And another twist on August 10: Fabrice Favetto-Bon suddenly left "for personal and family reasons".
On the judicial front, the start of the school year promises to be busy: in criminal matters, in addition to the prosecution against Mr. Chabane, the attacker Farid El Melali is accused of sexual exhibition during confinement. In the Prudhommes, the club will find on September 9 Olivier Pickeu, who contests his dismissal, and on the 10 his former captain Cheikh Ndoye (2015-2017 and 2018-2019), who denounces a promise of unfulfilled hiring.
And before the commercial court, the former owner Willy Bernard, convicted of abuse of corporate assets and tax evasion, accuses Mr. Chabane of not having paid him the full amount provided for during the sale in 2011.
- "Life buoy" -
But not enough to disrupt the recovery, assures Sébastien Larcier: "Everyone is happy to find the field. It is the lifeline. Everything remains at the entrance to the locker room. We get out of all the context, we are centered and concentrated on the game. For 2 hours, we play soccer ".
For this, the club can still count on its last historic pillar, the trainer Stéphane Moulin, in post since 2011 and particularly respected. "On the phone he told me: + I cannot promise you the Champions League but I will promise you work. + It totally won me over", says Paul Bernardoni.
"Men like + Steph + Moulin, through the values that he exudes and that he teaches, are a bit like UFOs in this environment. This is what makes that even when it trembles like now, it continues to moving forward, it continues to work, it continues to follow the path that has been traced, "greets Sébastien Larcier.
© 2020 AFP