The last 48 hours of the transfer window dissipated part of the doubts weighed on Brest. On the evening of defeat in Lens (3-1) on Friday, the situation was far from ideal: a point after three days of the championship and, behind the eleven holder, a cruelly limited bench. “I’m not here to sell dreams, I am a fairly Cartesian person. We have a workforce that has weakened a lot, ”even regretted Eric Roy before the meeting in the North.
Brest has not changed dimension
True to its habit, Stade Brestois waited until the latest hours of the transfer window to strike. Between Sunday and Monday, the club formalized the arrivals of Lucas Tousart, Éric-Junior Dina Ebimbe, Rémy Labeau-Lascary and Pathé Mboup. “Last year already, we had to wait until the last hours to recruit, when we played the Champions League,” said Éric Roy.
Contrary to what some could have imagined, Brest has not changed dimension. Its budget – estimated at 35 million euros according to the team – remains one of the most modest in Ligue 1 (16th out of 18). And his superb course in the Champions League did not transform his finances either: out of the 52 million euros in bonuses, there would only be ten millions of net once all the charges deducted. The TV rights crisis has accentuated the club’s economic fragility, like almost all the others in France, forcing management to reduce the wage bill.
Expected departures, promising arrivals
The transfer window was marked by 15 departures, but none has constituted a real surprise, between those to whom an exit voucher had been granted (Bizot, Lees-Melou, Camara), those who arrived at the end of the contract (Pereira-égale, Martin, Haidara, Amavi), those to whom it was necessary to find a way out (Camblan, Mbock) and those left in their club after a loan (Coulibaly, Ndiaye, Faivre, Sima). Some executives appear in this list, but the renewal had been anticipated, also counting on summer sales.
To compensate, Brest has bet on eight reinforcements, recruited in targeted positions (goalkeeper, central defense, midfielder, left winger), while smelling the right shots. New proof of the ability of Grégory Lorenzi and his cell to carry out “miracles” in the final sprint of the transfer window.
The club has attracted experienced profiles, like Lucas Tousart (28, 354 pros) and Joris Chotard (23, 180 Ligue 1 games), but also young people with high potential like Rémy Labeau-Lascary, Junior Diaz or Pathé Mboup, which Brest has signed for five years.
If the workforce now appears more homogeneous and better armed than in the heart of summer, questions remain as to the state of form of certain reinforcements, affected by injuries (Dina Embibe, Labeau Lascary) or in lack of playing time in their old clubs.
The Brest stadium tackles the continuation of the championship with more certainties and a clear goal: to win a seventh consecutive maintenance in the elite, which would constitute a first in the history of the club. There remains for Eric Roy to find the right formula, the good eleven to finally launch the season in Ligue 1. Now, he will have the choice.
