• Seventh in Ligue 1 last year, RC Lens has just resumed training for next season.

  • The club hopes to continue its progress despite a complicated economic context.

At RC Lens, the holidays were not easy.

On a personal level, Franck Haise expected to celebrate differently the good season carried out by the promoted and finished in 7th place.

But a herniated disc decided otherwise.

“As my back forced me to have an operation, I had a little modified vacation.

Fortunately, things are much better, "smiles a coach extended until 2023 and who has resumed training this week with staff and players.

But it was not just for the Lensois coach that the summer break was eventful. As for the leaders of the club, it was not until June 14 to finally be fixed on the amount of TV rights, a

sine qua non

for mounting the budget for next season which will be between the 15th and 17th in the division. A budget necessarily lowered after the Mediapro fiasco of last year and TV rights cut in half.

What curb the artesian ambitions.

“With the default of Mediapro, we find ourselves in a structural version close to the one we knew when we were in Ligue 2. You have to make sales or failing that, the shareholder must provide guarantees.

When you mourn 20 million on an initially planned budget of 46 million, there are no miracle solutions ”, recognizes Arnaud Pouille, General Manager of Racing.

The club won't splurge

If Joseph Oughourlian, the president and owner of the club, has already put the pot last year to make up the difference, if the seventh final place also allowed to bring in more money than expected, the Blood and Gold, like vast majority of French clubs, will not be able to splurge next season. Suddenly, Racing will not close the door to the departures of important players like Loïc Badé.

Coveted by Rennes, the defender could leave for Brittany if both parties find their account there.

The players who leave will be replaced.

On the arrivals side, the club has already registered the signing of defender Christopher Wooh (Nancy) and striker Wesley Saïd (Toulouse).

“We want to have the most competitive team possible.

I think that today we are attractive to attract but also to retain our players, ”says Florent Ghisolfi, sports coordinator of the club.

Lens hopes for the return of its public to the recovery

In terms of ambitions, Racing wants to "stabilize in Ligue 1", a way of saying that the club aims for a comfortable maintenance.

To get there, the club hopes to count on the support of its supporters who have hardly or not attended Bollaert last year due to the Covid-19.

The club, which has already registered 13,000 subscriptions in a week, hopes to be able to count on a gauge of 15,000 spectators on August 15 for the opening of the season at home.

Last year, the absence of public and partners had lost 7.5 million euros in the club's coffers.

A financial and popular shortfall that Racing hopes will not relive next season.

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