Olivier Létang, the president of Losc, was the exceptional guest of Tribune Nord this Monday, September 19 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Many topics were discussed with him.
He returned to the victory against Toulouse 2 to 1 on Saturday. He spoke about Lille’s goals this season, the choice of Paulo Fonseca as coach, the performance of young goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, Benjamin André and Jonathan David. Olivier Létang said he was interested in operating the Pierre Mauroy stadium. He returned to the club’s debt and projected himself into the future, with the next derby against Lens on October 9.
Around the table to question him, our journalist Sylvain Charley, but also François Launay who comments on Ligue 1 matches on France Bleu Nord and François Stock, president of the Losc supporters section “Les Dogues du net”.
“The objective is to qualify for a European competition”
“Losc’s objective, regardless of this season, is to qualify for European competition”confided Olivier Létang, “We know that we are in a competition that is difficult. I sincerely think that we have the qualities to beat everyone. If we perform well and win matches, naturally, we will put ourselves in a position where we can actually seek a European place”.
“I like what the group gives off. I like the state of mind of the group. It’s also up to us to have this collective strength and this extra soul that allows us to seek victories”.
“Paulo Fonseca is the only coach we have talked to”
The choice of Paulo Fonseca as coach of Losc to replace Jocelyn Gourvennec was made at the end of the season. “We went to the end of the season and afterwards it was really an analysis. The positive points, the negative points. What can we improve? The idea of changing was only if we considered that it was going to be something beneficial and favorable. To tell you the truth, the only coach with whom I spoke, with whom we spoke, was Paulo Fonseca. had no others”, assured Olivier Létang.
Benjamin André could join the France team
When asked which Lille player could join the France team, Olivier Létang replies with a broad smile: “Perhaps Benjamin André could have had a small chance. We didn’t talk about it but he’s still a boy who won three titles: French champion, Coupe de France, Trophée des Champions. Benjamin is a great boy. Benjamin knows my position: he knows that I want him to stay with us. He is someone who wears the colors of the club, the identity, the values that we want to have, of commitment, of combat, of solidarity. Benjamin is truly a formidable person”.
Jonathan David will not leave
“Once the season has started. I don’t like changes during the season”explained Olivier Létang, “The idea is indeed that he stays with us all season. We made the sales last summer. Today, we absolutely do not need to sell. And for me, once again , I always say, the best and only marketing element is to win matches. So, _we need jonathan_“.
Lucas Chevalier, “the idea is to extend his contract”
Olivier Létang clarified on France Bleu Nord that discussions were taking place with Lucas Chevalier on an extension of his contract with Losc. “Lucas’ dream is to play with Losc. He has now played two games and we all know very well that the hardest part awaits him. So we are here to support him too. He is under contract until in 2025. What is the idea? The idea is to extend the contract. This is something that has been in the works for quite some time. We already talked about it at the end of last season. talked about it during the preparation and it is something indeed that we discuss. But there is always a timing to do that”.
“The debt, we have normalized it”
Asked about the club’s debt, Olivier Létang answered bluntly. “It was 370 million euros when I arrived. Today, we have normalized it. I am awaiting the results upstream with our auditors. We are arriving at a situation which is becoming rather positive, once again , but always with due vigilance”he pointed out.
“The operation of the Pierre Mauroy stadium interests us”
Does Losc intend to buy Stade Pierre Mauroy? This is not the project. Olivier Létang, the president of the club, rather aims to operate the stadium. “Losc pays the highest rent in France today. We are around 5.6 million euros fixed. You should know that Losc can use the stadium for around twenty dates in the year. Which means that we have to bring almost everything in and take everything out after the games. So we have significant additional costs. So the operation of the stadium is something that could be very interesting for us. But today, there are discussions that exist so I don’t want to say more at this stage”.
The derby against Lens: “We want to be respected at home”
It’s a new derby that awaits the Mastiffs next month. They will receive RC Lens on October 9 at the Pierre Mauroy stadium. “It’s still a long way off. We were focused on having ten points after seven matches. We absolutely wanted to win against Toulouse. We’re going to Lorient, which is a very good team too, which is third So today, we are really focused on the Lorient game and then there will be the derby. _Telling you that it’s not a particular match would be wrong. It’s a different game. We also want to be respected at home, whether for the derby or another match_“.