During the press conference this Monday to detail the project to extend the Orly training center, the owner of Paris FC, Antoine Arnault, also looked back on the start of his team’s season. The promoted player, who has not won in 8 games, is 14th after his draw on Sunday at Le Havre (0-0).
“I am not at all disappointed by our start to the season,” emphasizes Antoine Arnault. The Ligue 1 championship is complicated. The team is great to watch play. It’s true that we deserve, in my opinion, a few more points. You have to go after the points one after the other. Sunday in Le Havre (0-0), we already took one. We have this penalty against us ten minutes from the end, we also have the opportunity to score two or three times and come home with the three points, but that was not the case. We will take the matches one by one, the next is Toulouse, then we have the Coupe de France and after that there will be this famous derby. »
“Paris FC is 100% injected into my DNA”
Antoine Arnault has never hidden the fact that he is a PSG supporter and a long-time regular at the Parc des Princes. The first match of 2026, on January 4 at the Parc des Princes, will have a great flavor. “For me, this derby is a bit special because I have been a PSG supporter for many years,” he admits. From now on, I am a supporter of Paris FC and even more than a supporter. Because now, that’s it, Paris FC is 100% injected into my DNA. And I have always said that for this match, obviously, I would be more than in favor of Paris FC and I would fully support our club. There is not even a doubt but indeed, it will have a particular flavor. I’ve been in the presidential basket hundreds of times, but being there as a shareholder and representative of the opposing team’s club is going to be a bit special indeed. »
This Monday, the main shareholder of Paris FC, which represents the Agache family holding company, also spoke at length in L’Équipe, reaffirming his confidence in coach Stéphane Gilli.
“The group is behind the coach and I say it clearly: the departure of Stéphane Gilli was never considered. We are counting on him,” he declared while once again emphasizing the philosophy of the project, based on the long term.
“You have to have the humility not to want too much from the first year. I understand that some would immediately like to see us grab Europe but that is simply not possible. And they can say it as many times as they want, I will always answer them the same thing: step by step, stone by stone. This is the only way we will be able to build something solid. »
“It didn’t matter much for the arrival of N’Golo Kanté”
Still in the columns of L’Équipe, he also confirmed that Paris FC will be active during the January transfer window to “have a better balanced team which will perform and which will allow us to look ahead in the standings”. Two to four players are expected, with priority given to a center forward and an athletic midfielder. But Antoine Arnault also wanted to send a message: “My family did not come to Paris FC to do anything. There is therefore no question of us being used to fuel the transfer market and create a bubble. »
Finally, he confirmed in this interview that N’Golo Kanté had indeed been very close to signing for Paris FC in August, as we announced at the time. Antoine Arnault led the negotiations with Red Bull. “It didn’t come down to much. It’s a shame and I was sad that he didn’t come. I think he wanted to come too but his club (Al-Ittihad, Saudi Arabia) wouldn’t let him go. We respect that. It’s a shame because with N’Golo in this team, it would have created additional dynamics and perhaps 5 more points in the standings. In short, it is no longer relevant. »
Related reading
/data/photo/2026/09/06/6a9cddd6cb085.jpg)