Track jacket in the colors of OL on the shoulders to brave the rain which accompanied him on the journey, John Textor arrived barely a few minutes late in the auditorium of the Groupama Stadium in Décines this Tuesday at the end of afternoon. A few moments earlier, he had spoken to club employees. As in the face of the press, his message remained relatively vague on the changes to come in the organization chart. Although he confirmed that he was only an interim CEO and that a Managing Director would soon be appointed: “We started looking. Honestly, it’s not hard to find someone, it’s the best job ever”.
“We will keep and support Laurent Blanc”
In the preamble, the new big boss of OL had tried to minimize the departure of Jean-Michel Aulas: “Some headlines in the press hurt and do not correspond to the situation. Normal tensions in human relationships should not be exaggerated. I think now is the perfect time to make this transition. J’hope to always be able to continue to count on him. He will continue to be with the team, to travel with them. We will take a certain leadership compared to him but I still hope to continue to learn with him compared to this club”.
John Textor was however clear on a major subject: the future of Laurent Blanc, under contract with OL until 2024. The American, who will have dinner with the technician this Tuesday evening, is categorical: “We will keep and support Laurent Blanc. Our coach deserves a lot of resources and support this summer. Honestly, I want to see this coach coaching the new team. I support him. Full stop”.
“OL lack resources in the search for talent”
Bruno Cheyrou and Vincent Ponsot, threatened, were not entitled to this massive support. The OL boss fled the questions about them, answering completely off the mark in long answers that were reminiscent of the monologues of Jean-Michel Aulas. Like his predecessor, John Textor often jumped from one subject to another, without real transition.
He returned several times to a major theme, his desire to restructure the club’s recruitment cell: “We want to increase it to look for talent. We have the digital capacity to be able to analyze tens of thousands of players. We have a talent search department within OL but it’s a limited group. OL lack resources in the search for talent. (…) We won’t be able to improve if we don’t do things in a very different way”.
“Of course we have to come back to the Champions League”
Like Laurent Blanc, the American has often drawn up the observation of a current OL team that is “too young”: “I think that the coach does not have the manpower that is currently needed. Today, he does not have the depth or the necessary leadership on the bench.” However, when discussing future OL recruits, John Textor explained “want to invest heavily in players who will grow with time “. And keep the currently most promising Gones? The American dithers: “Often it’s the player who wants to leave, not the club. The best way to ensure young players want to stay at the club is to continue to love and support them.”
Asked about OL’s future goals, the American set the course: “Of course we have to come back to the Champions League. If we don’t, the season will be a failure, right? To achieve this, he is counting on a change of mentality within the team: “I believe that ultra-commercial teams do not win major championships. It happens thanks to hard work to players who love their coach, who love their club. Motivation is crucial. We must ensure that it is the same whether during the posters or during matches against teams at the bottom of the table. »
