The Greens are a week away from returning to Étrat to prepare for the next Ligue 1 season. A month and a half before the championship resumes, the transfer window is in full swing! A look back at ASSE’s week.
Monday June 24
Benjamin Bouchouari towards the Champions League? – ASSE
Laurent Batlles’s key player, Benjamin Bouchouari was an undisputed starter for the former Saint-Etienne coach. Playing 34 matches for a total of 2,203 minutes in 2022/2023, he was a key player for ASSE. His ball handling and changes of support quickly enchanted the Saint-Etienne supporters upon his arrival.
However, with just one goal and no assists in the 2022/2023 season, he had a fairly low performance for a central midfielder. Aware of the progress he needs to make, the young Moroccan has not managed to reach a new level this season. While Laurent Batlles continues to make him one of his trusted men by starting him very regularly, Olivier Dall’Oglio will change the situation. Upon his arrival at the club, ODO will continue to start Bouchouari until the match against Amiens. Not performing well in this match, the Saint-Etienne midfielder comes off at half-time. Since then, he has only started three times in nineteen matches, including the league and play-offs!
A signing for Girona, surprise club of the last Liga?
If Bouchouari did not completely convince on the Forez side, he nevertheless gained a good rating in Spain if we are to believe the information of KOORA MOROCCO, an Instagram account of information on Moroccan football. According to this account, “Benjamin Bouchouari is on his way to signing with Girona (Spain)”. Still according to Koor Morocco, “negotiations are underway between the two parties”.
Girona is the surprise club of last season in Spain. The city, located north of Barcelona, hosts a club which was more used to yo-yoing between the first and second divisions. By finishing 3rd in La Liga, Michel’s men have defied all predictions and will compete in the Champions League next season. It seems that Benjamin Bouchouari’s profile caught the eye of leaders. One thing is certain, if the rumor is real, it is also unexpected for the Saint-Etienne decision-makers. As a reminder, Bouchouari is committed to ASSE until 2025… To be continued.
Tuesday June 25
ASSE on the road to smashing its records!
ASSE announced a few days ago the terms and conditions for taking out a 2023-2024 season subscription. On the program are seventeen matches (or less, with the closed-door matches already over). The enthusiasm present this season has clearly not died down and many people want to get their first sesame. On the first day, the club revealed: “When the ticket office closed on Wednesday (6pm), more than 2,700 season tickets had been sold (compared to 1,001 last year, and 400 two years ago). Of these 2,700 24-25 season ticket holders, more than 2,000 were new! While it had 700 season ticket holders last season, the Kop Sud already had 1,000 more on the first day of sales.” Quite impressive numbers.
Already 4,000 subscribers in Kop Sud
This Monday, ASSE took stock of the number of subscribers. And a symbolic figure has been reached. Today, 10,000 people have subscribed for this new season. Even more incredible, 4,000 are new. The Geoffroy-Guichard stadium will therefore welcome a large number of spectators this year. The South stand is enjoying real popularity with already 4,000 subscribers. This is half the capacity of the South kop. It could therefore be that both Geoffroy-Guichard lungs are filled with subscribers!
🤗 Five days after the launch of the subscription campaign, there are already 10,000 of us! 💚 pic.twitter.com/Es8UC8DP7B
— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) June 24, 2024
As for old subscribers who numbered 12,600 last year, half have already renewed for the coming financial year. There should still be many of them to take up the latter. They have until July 19 to do so. It is for this reason that for the moment the Kop Nord has not been open to non-subscribers. In fact, last year there were no places left throughout the season. ASSE also hopes to be able to rely on the opening of its balconies. But for now, nothing has yet been decided with the Metropolis. Progress recently told us that discussions would resume after the Olympic Games.
Wednesday June 26
6 departures already recorded? – ASSE
The Greens’ resumption is scheduled for July 8. For the moment, no recruits have been reported. The transfer window is proving particularly calm and this goes beyond the borders of the Loire. TV rights not allocated and Euro in progress, that doesn’t help. If ASSE seeks to strengthen itself at each line, the priority of the Saint-Etienne board remains for the moment to downsize its workforce. What L’Equipe confirms in today’s edition:
“In the KSV specifications, Loïc Perrin and the recruitment unit have a first element: try to attract players under 25 years old. Meetings are planned this week with Moueffek for a possible extension. The sporting director will have to look into the cases of Briançon, Monconduit, Tardieu, Fomba or even Bouchouari, who could be invited to look for a place to land.”
Bouchouari first departure?
A list to which we could add Etienne Green, for whom ASSE is looking for a solution. Far from simple to achieve. All Ligue 1 clubs are seeking to reduce their payrolls. A trend that we find in every transfer window, however accentuated by the vagueness that reigns around TV rights. It’s not easy for Saint-Etienne leaders to find ways out. Anthony Briançon, Florian Tardieu, Thomas Monconduit and even Lamine Fomba have salaries above the average for Ligue 2 players. Like the previous departures orchestrated last winter, ASSE could be forced to take over poached.
The departure that seems the most likely remains that of Benjamin Bouchouari. At 22, the Moroccan remains a certain rating. His departure has been agreed internally for several months, but not at any price. Several Moroccan media outlets are talking about advanced negotiations with Girona. The Spanish club will play in the Champions League. Third in the last edition of La Liga, the club coached by Michel would like to bet on the Moroccan international hopeful of the Greens. At the end of his contract in June 2026, Benjamin Bouchouari is valued at €2.5 million by the transfermarkt website. In the event of a sale, the sum recovered should be reinvested in the budget dedicated to the summer transfer window of ASSE. To be continued!
The Greens not worried by the DNCG!
Today, ASSE went before the financial policeman of French football. While the situation is very uncertain with TV rights, clubs still have to justify their budget for next season. While the situation could have been delicate in Forez, the buyout by a powerful Canadian group led by Larry Tanenbaum sounds like a blessing. The club was therefore rather calm about this deadline, which is nevertheless necessary to truly start the transfer window.
ℹ️ Make the DNCG green! ✅
The management of AS Saint-Étienne was received and interviewed this Wednesday by the National Management Control Department (DNCG), as part of the examination of the situation of professional football clubs for the 2024 season. 2025.
After… pic.twitter.com/Y5NxKEVNk1
— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) June 26, 2024
The ASSE press release: “The management of AS Saint-Étienne was received and interviewed this Wednesday by the National Management Control Directorate (DNCG), as part of the examination of the situation of professional football clubs for the 2024-2025 season. After studying the file presented by ASSE, the national body confirmed the absence of restrictive measures against the club.”
Thursday June 27
Yunis Abdelhamid first recruit from ASSE?
ASSE is back in Ligue 1 and will finally begin a particularly anticipated transfer window. It had been in the papers for several days, it is now almost a done deal, Yunis Abdelhamid will sign with AS Saint-Etienne. He will become the first recruit of the Kilmer Sports Ventures era.
At the end of the championship and the promotion to Ligue 1, both Ivan Gazidis and Olivier Dall’Oglio indicated that recruits would arrive in numbers on the ASSE side. If the Saint-Etienne squad was cut out for Ligue 2 games, a completely different challenge awaits the Greens this season in a Ligue 1 that is tighter than ever. Around ten arrivals are expected near Forez. The first is identified, it will be the former captain of Stade de Reims, Yunis Abdelhamid.
Towards a one-year contract + an optional year?
The 36-year-old will bring his defensive qualities and experience to Olivier Dall’Oglio’s squad. According to the latest information from FootMercatoa total agreement was found between Yunis Abdelhamid and the leaders of ASSE: “According to our information, the former Reims captain has finally reached an agreement with Saint-Etienne. All that is missing is the signature and the medical examination to complete this file. As a reminder, Abdelhamid will sign up for a one-year contract and an optional year. “.
A month ago, Yunis Abdelhamid told 90 Football: “My desire? To continue playing at a good level, no matter the country. Want to play matches, stay healthy, me and my family. I don’t ask for more! If I stay in France, I want to have a good level and try to be among the best players in my position. I play to perform. My goal is to be among the best. Even if I’m getting older, and it can become more and more difficult. I give myself the means to perform. I love Ligue 1 and everything that surrounds it. If I am brought to stay in Ligue 1, it would be with great pleasure! My goal will be to be even stronger.”
Friday June 28
Aïmen Moueffek towards an extension!
We left Aïmen Moueffek with words of joy. It was just after the play-off victory against Metz, on June 2nd. “It’s incredible, it’s a huge source of pride. We were relegated two years ago and we had to get the club back to where it should be. Now, with this promotion, we must above all thank the supporters.”.
However, it was on another subject that the supporters were waiting for Moueffek to speak: that of his future. A real driving force behind this comeback. A key player in Olivier Dall’Oglio’s system, the young midfielder trained at the club had not yet extended his lease ending at the end of June. Two days before the deadline, still no progress. At least on the surface. However, the player’s desire was clear and precise on June 2: “I want to extend my contract at Saint-Étienne. Now that the objective has been achieved, we will sit down, discuss and think about my future. But that will be later. Thank you to everyone, thank you to the green people who followed us all season. All this today is for them and we thank them again. This is my 13th year here. I arrived at 11 years old, I saw everything, I was a ball boy, I was a supporter, now I am a player and I am helping the club to move up. It is a huge source of pride and I am super happy.
Towards a 4-year extension at ASSE?
A few days ago, Foot Mercato indicated that Aïmen Moueffek “had a meeting with the management of Saint-Etienne to discuss its future”. A crucial meeting for a courted player, in France, but also abroad. This meeting did indeed take place, and Foot Mercato affirms that at the end of this meeting, “the trend is clearly towards an extension for the Moroccan international hopeful. The different parties discussed a new 4-year contract with an optional year. The new leaders see him as a key element in the new project. An agreement could be reached in the coming hours. ».
Excellent news for a club that wants to rely on youth and its strengths. According to our information, the family circle weighed in this choice. So there is a good chance that Moueffek’s extension will be announced quickly…
2024-06-30 19:16:13
#transfer #window #carried #ASSE #week
