Lens, once fearing the worst, are now beating the elite after a summer of significant losses. The club's president, Joseph Oughourlian, had set out its "No 1 objective" as "rediscovering financial solidity," and sporting ambitions have taken a backseat role.
Since running Paris Saint-Germain close for the title in the 2022-23 season, Lens has lost several key players. Seko Fofana, Loïs Openda, Abdukodir Khusanov, Elye Wahi, Brice Samba, and Kevin Danso all left the club during the summer, while Neil El-Aynaoui, Andy Diouf, and Facundo Medina also departed.
Lens is unable to buy replacements due to a lack of funds, unlike local rivals Lille. The club's decision not to develop its own talent has resulted in a negative balance sheet, with Lens selling players but not reinvesting heavily on new signings.
Manager Will Still struggled to prevent the effects of the incremental talent drain from being felt on the pitch. His sole season with Lens ended with an eighth-place finish.
However, his replacement, Pierre Sage, has gotten more out of players who were already at the club. Malang Sarr had been written off by Chelsea after a poor spell on loan at Monaco but has rediscovered his confidence and form under Sage's management.
Samson Baidoo, Matthieu Udol, Mamadou Sangaré, and Odsonne Édouard have also impressed, with Édouard already scoring three goals, including one in the win over Marseille. Florian Thauvin is enjoying a late-career revival after returning to international duty for France.
Lens is currently above Marseille and Monaco in Ligue 1, which has been full of surprises this season. The Lens players are showing they have plenty of fight on the pitch, earning praise from captain Adrien Thomasson. However, expectations within the club remain low.
The powers that be in French football are being targeted by Oughourlian, who has called out the LFP and even PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi as a "bully."
Since running Paris Saint-Germain close for the title in the 2022-23 season, Lens has lost several key players. Seko Fofana, Loïs Openda, Abdukodir Khusanov, Elye Wahi, Brice Samba, and Kevin Danso all left the club during the summer, while Neil El-Aynaoui, Andy Diouf, and Facundo Medina also departed.
Lens is unable to buy replacements due to a lack of funds, unlike local rivals Lille. The club's decision not to develop its own talent has resulted in a negative balance sheet, with Lens selling players but not reinvesting heavily on new signings.
Manager Will Still struggled to prevent the effects of the incremental talent drain from being felt on the pitch. His sole season with Lens ended with an eighth-place finish.
However, his replacement, Pierre Sage, has gotten more out of players who were already at the club. Malang Sarr had been written off by Chelsea after a poor spell on loan at Monaco but has rediscovered his confidence and form under Sage's management.
Samson Baidoo, Matthieu Udol, Mamadou Sangaré, and Odsonne Édouard have also impressed, with Édouard already scoring three goals, including one in the win over Marseille. Florian Thauvin is enjoying a late-career revival after returning to international duty for France.
Lens is currently above Marseille and Monaco in Ligue 1, which has been full of surprises this season. The Lens players are showing they have plenty of fight on the pitch, earning praise from captain Adrien Thomasson. However, expectations within the club remain low.
The powers that be in French football are being targeted by Oughourlian, who has called out the LFP and even PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi as a "bully."
they were like super bad last season but now they're doing alright I guess? I mean, it's weird that their manager had to step down after only one season 
what happened? And why are all the good players leaving them? It seems like they just don't have enough money 
to sign new players. I'm also not really sure what this "bully" thing means when he calls out PSG president 
does it mean they're being too dominant or something?
. They lost half their squad over the summer and couldn't afford to bring anyone in, what were they expecting? But now that Pierre Sage is at the helm, they're somehow managing to pull off some decent performances 
. I mean, Malang Sarr's back on form and Florian Thauvin's got a new lease on life 
. Still, don't get too excited, they've only just started climbing out of the Ligue 1 abyss 
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. The fact that Malang Sarr was written off by Chelsea and then redeemed himself under Sage's management is pretty cool 
I'm not surprised they're doing well above Marseille and Monaco, the Ligue 1 table has been all over the place this season. The thing that's got me interested though is Joseph Oughourlian going off at the powers that be... might be a fun storyline to watch develop 
They've got some serious underdog spirit going on. I mean, they lost so many key players over the summer but Pierre Sage has been able to get the most out of what he's got. It's like they're proving everyone wrong and it's super satisfying to watch.
! They were writin' it off after losin' some big names but Pierre Sage's got 'em clickin' 
! Those young guns like Samson Baidoo & Odsonne Édouard are on fire 
! And Adrien Thomasson is leadin' the charge, gettin' that team to fight 
. Can't wait to see what they do against PSG next 
. Maybe Oughourlian should just focus on gettin' his own house in order instead of goin' after other folks in French football