Prior to their Champions League opener against Sevilla, Lens were in the wilderness. Franck Haise’s side had failed to win any of their first five Ligue 1 matches and had already lost on four occasions, the same amount as they lost in the entire 2022/23 season, where they finished just one point behind eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain. A repeat of that feat certainly didn’t look on the cards with Les Sang et Or trapped in the relegation zone. 

Lens notably looked to be suffering from the absence of the talismanic figure of Seko Fofana, a crucial element of the side’s midfield, but also the dressing room, whilst their top scorer, Loïs Openda, also made a move away from the Stade Bollaert. “I don’t think we’ve completely turned the page on last season,” said Haise in the run-up to the match against AS Monaco. “We’ve stayed with what went well in 2022/23 and things catch up with you. We need to turn the page. There is a lot of work to do that hasn’t been completely done.”

Spierings a symbol of Lens’ demise

Haise struck an even more worrying tone after the club’s defeat to Monaco. “We have to be worried. I can’t say that I’m not worried, that wouldn’t be lucid,” said the Frenchman. Things would get worse before they got better, with a shock defeat at home to newly-promoted FC Metz preceding Lens’ first trip of the Champions League campaign. 

Lens’ demise on the pitch can at least partially be attributed to what went on off of it. Grégory Thil, in his one and perhaps only transfer window as Lens technical director, saw his role diminish as the deadline approached. The perceived failure of Thil’s business saw Arnaud Pouille increasingly involved himself in the recruitment, bringing in profiles such as Nampalys Mendy, Faitout Maouassa and Ruben Aguilar. Pouille’s involvement suggested that Thil’s time as technical director was coming to an end. 

The worst piece of business was undoubtedly Stijn Spierings. The Dutch midfielder had thrived at Toulouse FC the previous season before arriving at the Stade Bollaert on a free transfer. However, it wasn’t a good fight. Spierings was “poorly cast” for Lens’ style of play, and by mid-September, he had returned to Le TéFéCé on a joker transfer. 

Understandably, there was little optimism as Lens headed into their Champions League opener against Sevilla.

I’m not going to arrive with a bucket of confidence. We’re going to continue to believe in ourselves. I believe in my players and my team. The season will perhaps be difficult until the end. We came up short this evening, but I am confident […] I didn’t think we would be here, with just one point from 15. I knew it would certainly be a more difficult season. But this is where we are and we have to face it,” said Haise just days before Lens’ trip to Spain. 

However, he struck a more positive tone the day before the match against Sevilla. The mood seemed to have lightened, the Champions League a very welcome distraction. “Three years ago, this club was in Ligue 2. So yes, we’ve had bad results since the start of the season and we are working to improve things, but we would be stupid if we weren’t able to enjoy this moment. I don’t want to be stupid,” said Haise. 

Fulgini fires Lens back to form 

Lens looked to have carried their domestic form into the European competition. Luis Ocampos opened the scoring for Sevilla early on, but Les Sang et Or struck back with a sumptuous strike from Angelo Fulgini. Lens held on to take a point on their grand return to the upper echelon of the European game. “It’s important in the period that we are in to show character, that RC Lens are still here […] it will also, if it is necessary, also give the group a lot of confidence,” said Haise. 

The following weekend Lens got their first Ligue 1 victory, against Toulouse, and then backed that up with a slender win over RC Strasbourg Alsace. Then came the exploit, the one that few expected, the victory over Arsenal, which Haise described as “one of the most memorable matches” of his reign as Lens manager. 

Lens have not lost since and their most recent 4-0 victory over FC Nantes lifted them to 10th, level on points with Olympique de Marseille. Les Sang et Or are once again looking up the Ligue 1 table, and qualification from their Champions League group looks entirely feasible. If Metz was the nadir of Lens’ season, the match against Sevilla just days later was the clearly identifiable turning point. 

So many French clubs strive all season to attain European competition, but once there, it is a sort of poison chalice. There is almost a relief when they are knocked out and a perception that they are better without it, that they can devote all of their time and attention to domestic competition. Lens are proof that European performance can help, not hinder, domestic form.  

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Hébert has arrived as the recruitment coordinator in an organisational reshuffle at Lens, who in an official press release on Thursday expressed a desire to turn towards a more “agile and workable” model. Hébert, who until the summer was the sporting director at Ligue 2 club Paris FC, and has previously had a stint at Paris Saint-Germain, will work under general manager Franck Haise. 

As reported by L’Équipe, Thil, the club’s current technical director, is expected to leave the club having rejected the possibility of assuming a new role at the club. Reports suggest that Lens and Thil are in discussions over a mutual agreement to terminate his contract. Thil has occupied his current role since Florent Ghisolfi’s departure to OGC Nice 12 months ago. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Ganiwu, who played for the Ghana U17 team at the UEFA Youth Championship in Serbia earlier this year, has caught the eyes of clubs across Europe. Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Red Bull Salzburg are all interested in the Ghanaian youth international, but according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Ganiwu is set to train with UEFA Champions League side Lens later this year. He will also watch Les Sang et Or in action in the Champions League during his stay next month.

However, Ganiwu is also set for trials at other European teams. The Ghanaian prospect has featured for Sportive Avranches domestically, a second-division club in the GAFRA league. His performances have drawn comparisons to former Chelsea, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Michael Essien.  

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Thil has barely lasted a year in his position as technical director with Les Sang et Or. He was promoted following Florent Ghisolfi’s move to OGC Nice last October, however, his first summer transfer window in the new role was considered a failure with Arnaud Pouille becoming increasingly involved as the transfer deadline neared. 

There was a chance that Thil was remain at Lens, albeit in a new role, however, according to L’Équipe, he will leave the club by mutual consent. The Frenchman seemed unwilling to accept a backward step within Lens’ setup. Discussions about the contours of Thil’s departure are advanced. 

In parallel, Les Sang et Or are looking to add former Paris FC sporting director Hébert to their setup. He left his role at the Ligue 2 side in the summer. In the event of his arrival, Hébert would be named the coordinator of the recruitment cells of all of the club’s teams, including the female side. This restructuring at Lens will afford more freedom to Franck Haise, who is under contract at the Ligue 1 side until 2027. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Facundo Medina had the first chance of the game as Frankowski’s cross couldn’t be directed goalwards by Wahi but into the direction of the Argentine defender. However, the mishit shot just evaded Medina who tried to stab the ball beyond Walter Benitez. The chances for Lens were plentiful in the opening ten minutes with Machado also having the chance to give them the lead from Sotoca’s cross but his onrushing shot was tame. 

Despite early dominance from Lens, PSV came the closest to taking the lead in the opening 30 minutes. Hirving Lozano did brilliantly to cut inside and bend a shot goalwards but he was denied by the post. After this chance, momentum in the game seemed to switch in favour of the visitors with Lens forced to go more direct to play over the relentless press from Peter Bosz’s team. 

Danso had Lens’ best chance of the second half with less than 5 minutes to go until the break as a free kick somewhat unknowingly fell to him in a great position in the PSV box but he sliced his effort over the bar. The game remained goalless at the break.  

After 54 minutes, Johan Bakayoko gave the visitors the lead. The Belgian winger found the back of the net with a sweet strike from distance that evaded Samba in the Lens goal with a wicked amount of spin. The Eredivisie club had begun to assert their dominance in the game at the start of the second half and deservedly found themselves in front.

Chasing the game, Lens began to gain a foothold in the game following PSV’s opener. A sweeping counter-attack saw Frankowski find Wahi in space, but the French U21 forward’s first-time shot was fired wide. Before long, the former Montpellier forward would have a second opportunity to convert and he took it. Frankowski’s early cross found Wahi and with brilliantly improvised technique, he volleyed beyond Benitez to level proceedings. The momentum swung towards Lens with a rocking Bollaert-Delelis behind them. 

Lens’ pressure had an almost debilitating effect on PSV, who struggled to put any passes together for around ten minutes before they regained some composure. As the game remained finely balanced, Joey Veerman almost nestled a free kick home but a vital deflection from the Lens wall saw the effort just wide of Samba’s goal. Ramalho also had a big chance to win the game for PSV from a set piece but his header was wide of the post. 

Despite chances in the final minutes of the game for both teams, the scores remained level. This result means that whilst Lens remain unbeaten they drop to second in Group B after Arsenal’s 2-1 victory against Sevilla. 

Lens player ratings: 

Brice Samba – 6

Facundo Medina – 6

Kevin Danso – 6, The Austrian defender was commanding at the back and often seen breaking from defence into midfield to kickstart attacks. He held the Lens defence together strongly during sustained periods of PSV dominance.

Jonathan Gradit – 6

Przemysław Frankowski – 7, The Polish international was Lens’ chief creator all night and expertly patrolled the right flank with ease whilst assisting Wahi. The accuracy of his crossing was a joy to behold and had an immense influence on the game. 

Nampalys Mendy – 5

Salis Abdul Samed – 6

Deiver Machado – 5

Florian Sotoca – 7

Elye Wahi – 7, Wahi showed exactly why Lens broke their club record fee to sign the French U21 international. He lead the line brilliantly often shifting into the channels and running in behind whilst showing a clinical streak any striker would be proud of to level the game. 

Angelo Fulgini – 5

GFFN | Liam Wraith

Both Champions League matches held at the Stade Bollaert this season have been classed as a level four risk (the highest level) by the management of the National Fight against Hooliganism (DNLH). Lens’ match against Arsenal was also ranked as a high-risk match. The fixture took place without incident. 

5% of the Stade Bollaert, equivalent to around 1800 fans, will be allocated to travelling Dutch supporters. Security measures will therefore be increased for Tuesday night’s match in Lens. A fan zone will also be created in Cantin to accommodate fans with between 200-400 fans expected to make the trip to Northern France without tickets. According to L’Équipe, there will be even more police units (five compared to three) than the match against Arsenal. Around 1100 officers are therefore expected to be involved in the operation. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

L’Équipe report that Franck Haise is set to reinstate summer signing Elye Wahi to the starting eleven to lead the line for Lens. This will see Wesley Saïd, who started in the central striking position in last seasons’ Ligue 1 runners up most recent 0-0 draw with Le Havre, drop to the bench.

Salis Abdul Samed should also return to the starting lineup for their third match back in the Champions League, with Andy Diouf who started against Le Havre on the bench. There should also be rotation in defence with Facundo Medina returning to the starting XI in replace of Massadio Haïdara. The rest of Lens’ team should remain unchanged from their draw with the newly-promoted club. Franck Haise will be without Wuilker Faríñez and Jimmy Cabot who both miss out due to injury. 

Lens likely lineup vs PSV:

Brice Samba – Facundo Medina, Kevin Danso, Jonathan Gradit – Przemysław Frankowski, Salis Abdul Samed, Nampalys Mendy, Deiver Machado – Florian Sotoca, Elye Wahi, Angelo Fulgini

GFFN | Liam Wraith

Deiver Machado, who came off the bench to get Lens’ goal in that 1-1 draw against Lille a little under a fortnight ago, is also set to miss Friday night’s match. Jimmy Cabot is the only other player absent for the clash against Les Ciel et Marine. 

Nampalys Mendy looks set to partner Andy Diouf, a Golden Boy nominee, in Lens’ midfield. The former Leicester City man has brought an element of stability since his arrival on a free transfer this summer, and Salis Abdul Samed therefore looks set to drop to the bench. 

Lens likely lineup v Le Havre

Brice Samba; Massadio Haïdara, Kevin Danso, Jonathan Gradit; Przemyslaw Frankowski, Andy Diouf, Nampalys Mendy, Ruben Aguilar; Adrien Thomasson, Wesley Saïd, Florian Sotoca. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Zaïre-Emery broke into the PSG squad last season and despite a change of manager and further recruitment in the midfield area, the Frenchman has consolidated his place in the starting XI. He was recently elected captain of the France U21 side, whilst Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps said he is already in consideration for a senior call-up. 

Another player who is knocking on the door of the France national team is former Stade Rennais forward Tel. Despite sitting behind Harry Kane in the pecking order at Bayern Munich, the Frenchman has six goals in just 318 minutes on the pitch. Whilst Deschamps said that he is further away from a senior call-up than Zaïre-Emery, Tel has been impressive, and his form has been rewarded by a Golden Boy nomination. 

As well as Zaïre-Emery and Tel, Red Bull Salzburg’s Lucas Gourna-Douath and RC Lens’ Andy Diouf have also made the final 25-player shortlist. The latter impressed for FC Basel last season before securing a return to Ligue 1. The award is given to the “best” under-21 player in Europe. Barcelona’s Gavi is the current holder of the award. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Thil has barely lasted a year in his position. A difficult summer transfer window has put pay to his time as technical director. The club struggled to revamp the squad following the departures of Seko Fofana and Loïs Openda. Stijn Spierings, brought in to compensate for the departure of the Ivory Coast midfielder, lasted just a handful of games at the club, before returning on loan to Toulouse. 

With Lens struggling in the window, CEO Arnaud Pouille involved himself more in the recruitment, bringing in profiles such as Nampalys Mendy, Faitout Maouassa and Ruben Aguilar. Pouille’s involvement suggested that Thil’s time as technical director was coming to an end. 

According to L’Équipe, Lens have proposed that Thil becomes the director of recruitment, a post that he occupied prior to his promotion. There is a more global reflection on the structuring of the club currently ongoing at Lens. Les Sang et Or are considering bringing in Frédéric Hébert, who would oversee all of the club’s teams, including the women’s team. A decision will be made this week, with President Joseph Oughourlian having the final say. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle