The president of Toulouse Football Club stopped at the microphone of France Bleu Occitanie this Friday, as the transfer window officially opens. The TFC will return to Ligue 1 on the weekend of August 7 and Damien Comolli hopes to close some files quickly.
Since the climb, we imagine that you have not taken a vacation?
“I haven’t taken a holiday at all, I haven’t had time. I sure need it but that’s also a good sign. We have so many things going on at the club at the moment. This week, we had the club’s audition with the DNCG. We passed with the honors and congratulations of the jury.’
What is the biggest construction site?
‘It’s about building the team that’s on the pitch. We had the structure of a Ligue 1 club in Ligue 2. Some took that for arrogance but not at all. Not much changes off the pitch. We have quality infrastructure, quality technical and medical staff as well. Our season we play it now. In June, July and August. It’s during the transfer window, you have to build a competitive team in Ligue 1. I don’t see it as a construction site but as a test, a very important time in a season. This is one of the great lessons I learned working with Arsène Wenger.
How many departures this summer?
“There are departures that we control. Young players that we would like to loan out because they need to harden up and have playing time. On arrivals I have a precise idea but I don’t want to give the number. Then there is a second wave of arrivals which will be dependent on the number of major players who leave.”
You told us that you were hoping for a first round of arrivals soon enough…
“I’m not completely satisfied. It’s been longer than we expected. We did everything to make transfers very early. We’re interested in the best players from other teams, and by definition they don’t don’t want to sell them to us. It’s taking longer than I would have liked. At the club, everyone tells me that it’s very unusual to make transfers before June 30, but I want to get there. Will it be zero, one, two or three players that we will be able to do before June 30? I don’t know, but all our energy is focused on that.”