One To Watch: Romain Faivre – Retaining Romain Faivre was a crucial bit of business. The AS Monaco academy product looked a shadow of the player he was at Stade Brestois when he joined Olympique Lyonnais. However, during his six-month loan spell at FC Lorient last season, he looked reborn. In 17 games for Les Merlus, he scored five goals and registered three assists, and most importantly, was the club’s most creative outlet. Faivre needs to replicate that purple patch over a prolonged period next season.
Bournemouth will be paying very close attention to the former France U21 international. The Cherries, who share the same owner as Lorient, were the ones who actually bought Faivre this summer, and their investment was significant. A lightning start to the season could potentially precipitate his departure, depending on Bournemouth’s situation, but Lorient will be hoping to retain him for the entirety of the campaign. Troubling the top half of the table may depend on it.
Signing To Watch: Formose Mendy – Lorient signed two Mendys this summer, and it will be interesting to see how they both get on. Benjamin Mendy is an unknown quantity after a long period spent out of the game. The former Manchester City defender was cleared of all charges of sexual crimes last month and has since signed a two-year deal with Les Merlus.
Formose Mendy’s adaptation to Ligue 1 will be interesting to watch. He makes the step up from Ligue 2 side Amiens as an already fully-fledged Senegalese international. He arrives for a reported €7.5m fee and has the potential to be a big hit in Régis Le Bris’ side. At just 22 years old, he has already accrued considerable experience and he now looks ready to hit new levels.
Squad Analysis – Lorient certainly head into the upcoming season considerably weaker. Last year, Régis Le Bris’ side kicked off the Ligue 1 campaign with a squad that included Terem Moffi, Enzo Le Fée and Dango Ouattara. All have since left for considerable fees. Moffi and Ouattara both left in January and Lorient subsequently lost some attacking edge – understandably. Le Fée has now also left, and without him, it could be a difficult season. Faivre will be crucial, whilst there will also be a reliance on Bamba Dieng. The Senegalese international has a point to prove after being shown the door by Olympique de Marseille. The squad, thanks to their 14 summer signings, has more depth than it had last season, but less quality.
Strengths – There is a lot of depth in this squad and a lot of experience of French football. Many of Lorient’s recruits have come from Ligue 2 and this know-how is an essential element to squad-building in Ligue 1. Despite the departures of Moffi, Ouattara and Moffi, Lorient have reconstructed in attack and have some interesting options at their disposal. It is difficult to expect the likes of Dieng, Faivre, Théo Le Bris and Tosin Aiyegun to live up to their predecessors, but they should have the capacity to cause problems for many teams in Ligue 1. Les Merlus’ defensive sector should also be solid, and if Yvon Mvogo can continue to perform as he did last season, the club shouldn’t be at all threatened by the relegation places.
Weaknesses – There has been plenty of in-fighting at the Breton club this summer, which has polluted the club’s pre-season preparations. The widely reported spat between Loïc Féry and Le Bris has heavily disrupted the club’s preparations and whilst the issues now seem to be resolved, subsequent flare-ups and tensions could have very damaging effects. Keeping Le Bris happy will therefore be very important.
On the pitch, Lorient look light in their midfield and some quality additions in this sector of the pitch before the end of the transfer window certainly wouldn’t go amiss.
Verdict – Depleted and disrupted, Lorient should nonetheless go into this season with an air of tranquillity. The club were tipped by many for relegation last season, but the club’s overperformance in the first half of the season gave them a comfortable margin for error. Lorient couldn’t replicate their performances from the start of the season (eight wins in the first 10 Ligue 1 games) but with 15 wins over the course of the campaign, Le Bris’ men consolidated their mid-table standing.
That is where Lorient should stay next season. Les Merlus look incapable of competing with the European challengers as RC Strasbourg and Stade de Reims have made some shrewd investments that should nudge them up the table at the very least. For Lorient, a top-10 finish represents a great success, and relegation a great failure. The former is more likely than the latter, and Le Bris’ side should find themselves somewhere in the ventre mou.
