It was back to school this Wednesday morning at the FC Nantes training center. After five weeks of vacation, the players arrived one after the other and returned to the Jonelière pitches to begin their summer preparation. No new head. For now, no player has signed with the Yellows to compensate for all the departures recorded at the end of last season. “I trust the management”, blows the coach of the winner of the Coupe de France 2022, Antoine Kombouaré, as an overloaded first part of the season looms. Interview with a technicianfresh and rested“.
“I am demanding on the profiles of the players we want to have”
In what state of mind are you approaching this new season?
I’m fine, it’s the first time I’ve had such a long vacation, but I’m also happy to find the group ready to go again. Today, there are 16 players including 3 goalkeepers. Fabio is absent because he is sick and Pedro Chirivella will be there tomorrow. If my accounts are good, we have had seven departures and no arrivals so far. It’s a lot of work that we have ahead of us to recruit and have a competitive team this season.
Does this represent a concern less than five weeks before the resumption of the championship?
There are not any. If I am worried from the start, it is not a good sign. We are going to work, I trust the management and we know that we are going to work to recruit and it will happen quite quickly. But I’m not worried, we have time. I would like to leave with a squad between 23 and 25 players. I was hoping perhaps to have a player in attack on recovery but it’s complicated, and it is for all clubs. We stay calm, we work, I know that we have the same objective with the management: to have a quality workforce and do a good job this season.
What are your recruitment priorities?
First on the attacking positions. We had five departures and no arrivals so we will focus on this position as a priority. We also had two departures in the middle so if we can recruit it is interesting. I trust and as soon as I leave you I will continue to work, call players, agents, clubs, etc. I am demanding on the profiles of the players we want to have. But the good thing is that last season we have secured the positions of defenders and midfielders. So we have our foundations, in addition Alban is still there, it’s a very good thing.
– Frank Dubray
The blur around the future of Lafont, Blas and Simon
Should we understand that Alban Lafont will stay?
For me, he is gone to stay. He is very happy. Afterwards, the transfer window ends on August 31. But there is an element that must be taken into account, it is the European Cup. Our qualification was a game-changer because some will have sent to dispute it. This does not prevent us from anticipating the possibility that some will leave.
What is your position vis-à-vis the Ludovic Blas and Moses Simon cases?
They have an exit voucher, it’s very clear. Afterwards, it will be according to the offers they will have. If tomorrow, there are some who suit them and who satisfy the club, we will be very happy and we will then work to replace them. But if they are there with us, they will be part of the squad and we will work with them. But I wish them to find a club, that’s what was agreed from the start and these departures are sometimes inevitable. The players have had their day in Nantes and they have to leave to look higher and see if they are capable of playing at this level. Sometimes, departures are good because there is the arrival of new ones with freshness, desire and other qualities that can also help us for this complicated season that awaits us.
What is your method of recruiting?
I give a list to the president and to Franck Kita and they then work on the files. Afterwards, some files are realized and others not. You need experienced players, players who know Ligue 1 because it’s a season with four runs. Our objective will therefore be to stay there, it is to maintain it. The European Cup is a gift but it can also be a poisoned gift, we must not be afraid of words. I have already experienced it.
– Frank Dubray
“We will be expected everywhere and we will have to be ready”
Do you plan to rely on the 2002 generation this season?
We left to work with them. We have a training center that we have to work on because we have quality young people. This morning, I said to the young people who arrive with the pro group: you have a great example, it’s Quentin Merlin. It is up to them to follow the path. As for Joe-Loic Affamah, I have decided not to take him for the moment. It’s a sign, he didn’t do the right thing last season. It’s up to him to work with the reserve and then we’ll see what will happen. But he is not excluded from the professional group. On the other hand, coming to the pros is a reward, you have to deserve it.
We will participate in the European Cup to learn and create surprises, which we like to do.
Are you going to change your preparation compared to previous seasons because of the Champions Trophy and qualification for the European Cup which requires you to play 22 matches between July 31 and November 13?
It’s true that the preparation will be a little different because you have to quickly get to the heart of the matter. We have this Champions trophy which is important and which we want to play to the fullest. We warned the players this morning that there is a lot of work to be done and that we will have to prepare accordingly to be ready on July 31. We’re going to have a big string of matches, we’re going to have to work hard over a very short period of time, but I think the break due to the World Cup will benefit us, it’s a chance. Afterwards, it is always conditioned by the results that we will have achieved. These and the classification that we will do in August will also condition the departures and arrivals.
What will you insist on during the preparation?
I told the players that we had had an exceptional season and the hardest part will be confirming. We will be expected everywhere and we will have to be ready. We will have to put the same ingredients in terms of cohesion and mentality. The great strength of the group last season was that they worked hard and we were rewarded.
What are your goals this season in the league?
Staying in Ligue 1, that’s the goal. It doesn’t matter where. Obviously we would like to do like last season, ninth, or even a little better, but first we have to maintain ourselves. As for the European Cup, we will participate in it to learn and create surprises, which we like to do.