Jean-Louis Gasset va devoir composer avec un effectif chamboulé. JEAN MICHEL MART
Montpellier coach Jean-Louis Gasset must rebuild an attack where only Andy Delort has been recruited to compensate for the combined departures of Akor Adams, Arnaud Nordin and Mousa Tamari.
The time is no longer to anticipate the aftermath, but to cushion the shock of the past. The winter transfer window, in the “Labrune” color, echoes a disorganized summer for some French clubs and the melting of TV rights.
Montpellier, and those who are struggling far from Europe, are selling off talent, and therefore attackers, to cope with their relegation in Ligue 1 instead of responding to the sporting emergency of a worrying 17th place with fourteen days to go. And three days before a meeting on Sunday (5:15 p.m.) in Strasbourg, a premonition of what's to come.
With five departures: Adams, Nordin, Tamari, Barès, Touré, for three arrivals: Delort, Meïté, Pays, the positive balance of payments (€17 million) compensates for the budget deficit of the club chaired by Laurent Nicollin. And here is coach Jean-Louis Gasset, a friend of the Nicollin family, forced to imagine a typical team with a shaken up attack, a defense reinforced by Nikola Maksimovic's replacement, injured and unavailable, and a midfield under extreme competition.
Who with Delort ?
Montpellier transferred its trio of attackers in the middle of winter. The centre forward Akor Adams (FC Seville), the Jordanian international Mousa Tamari (Rennes) and Arnaud Nordin (Mainz), transferred for €1 million, are flying elsewhere and are stripping an attack with clipped wings.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The return of Andy Delort, who scored 40 goals in 95 Ligue 1 matches, satisfies some expectations and easily balances the transfer of the Nigerian centre forward, who scored 11 goals in 47 matches. But, it raises the question of his association. Who with the Sète player, scorer, barker and catalyst of a scattered soul ?
Wahbi Khazri, at the end of his career (1 goal), appears as his replacement. And the other six: Tanguy Coulibaly, retained at all costs, Othmane Maamma, Yanis Issoufou, Axel Guéguin, Junior Ndiaye, or Nicolas Pays… have a combined total of 56 league matches (4 goals) for all their baggage.
Jean-Louis Gasset, who wanted to keep Tamari at all costs, is scratching his head to compose his attack. And adept at a turnover at the hour mark, he invents a bench, likely to bring a second wind. With youngsters: Issoufou, Guéguin and Ndiaye… who are treating new problems.
A crowded midfield
Does one of the midfielders hide goalscoring talents? ? The competition overflows into a midfield where Becir Omeragic, respected for his game intelligence, joins the three experienced accomplices: Téji Savanier, Jordan Ferri and Joris Chotard. Rabby Nzingoula and Khalil Fayad, with their intermittent know-how, have the strength of youth, while Stefan Dzodic and Nicolas Pays advance into the unknown.
Can interim captain Ferri pay for his expulsion against Angers (1-3) and his outburst against Vito Hilton, Gasset's authoritative assistant and Pailladin emblem? ? Olympic vice-champion Joris Chotard will gauge his resilience after his aborted departures in August and January.
What place for Meïté
Goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte compiles the saves, Kiki Kouyaté, recovered from knee surgery, is once again roughing up the attackers, but Montpellier continues to concede goals. To plug the cracks in the most permeable defense in Ligue 1 (46 goals), the Nicollin-Gasset duo negotiated with OM the loan of Bamo Meïté, who compensates for the injury of the experienced Nikola Maksimovic.
Where will this central defender play, likely to help out on the right side ? A sign of a transfer window that questions more than it solves.
The last four transfer windows of MHSC
Since 2021, and the first effects of the Mediapro fiasco initiating the fall in TV rights, Montpellier has experienced rather hectic transfer windows. Brief flashback.
Winter 2022. Departures: none. Arrival: Barès (Lausanne)
Winter 2023. Departures: Omlin (Monchengladbach), Cozza (Wolsburg), Souquet (Chicago), Delaye (Le Puy). Arrivals: Lecomte (Monaco), Kouyaté (Metz), Sylla (Toulouse)
Winter 2024. Departures: Yeboah (Genoa), Estève (Burnley). Arrivals: Coulibaly (without club), Hefti (Genoa), Karamoh (Torino), Sagnan (Utrecht).
Winter 2025. Departures: Adams (FC Seville), Nordin (Mainz), Tamari (Rennes), Barès (Burgos), Touré (Turkey). Arrivals: Delort (Algiers), Pays (Le Puy-en-Velay), Meïté (OM)
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