The Greens are trying to emulate past success
Saint Etienne was a great force both in France and Europe. The team won ten league titles and even reached European Cup finals in 1976. But then came the decline and in the last thirty years the club is just a shadow of that from the ‘70s. Last season things were not looking good, as they were occupying 15th place after 24 rounds, and coach Roussey was close to getting sacked. But he somehow managed to get the best out of his team, and the team had great second part of the season, finishing fifth in the overall standings. And the club will be competing in the UEFA Cup after 27 years. Saint Etienne fans believe that this team can maybe bring back some of the old glory days, when Platini, Larque, Repelini, Rocheteau, Curkovic and others dominated France and Europe. Great performances of Gomis and Feindouno among others did not go unnoticed as a lot of big clubs are interested in these players.
Gomis and Feindouno stayed
After great second part of the season, and fifth place in the end, Saint Etienne will try to build on that success and stay near the top of the league. The biggest gain for the team is keeping Bafetimbi Gomis and Pascal Feindouno despite interest from a lot of big clubs. The club stated their ambition by bringing a couple of very good players, while no key players left the team this summer. David Sauget arrived from Nancy to strengthen the defense, and he can play on either flank. Sylvain Monsearau joined from Monaco, while Daitsuke Matsui came from Le Mans to reinforce the midfield area. He had a great last season in Ligue 1 and will be very important addition to the squad. Sebastien Grax came to add depth to attack, while the biggest signing came just before the transfer window closed, as Kevin Mirallas arrived from Lille, after long negotiations.
In
Daitsuke Matsui (Le Mans)
Kevin Mirallas (Lille)
Sebastien Grax (Sochaux)
Sylvain Monsoreau (Monaco)
David Sauget (Nancy)
Helton Dos Reis (Gueugnon)
Paulo Machado (on loan from Porto)
Yohan Hautcoeur (returned from Lorient)
Samy Houri (returned from Paris FC)
Stephen Vincent (returned from Gueugnon)
Out
Freddy Guarin (Porto)
Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes)
Lars Nilsson (on loan at Elfsborg)
Damian Perquis (Sochaux)
Malick Faye (Tours)
Daniel Bilos (terminated contract)
Saint Etienne wants to stay near the top
It is clear that the club wants to build on last season success, and their activity in the transfer market is showing that. Their biggest job was to keep Feindouno and Gomis, which was not easy as half of Europe showed interest in their services. But they both stayed, and that will be a big boost for the team. Sauget and Monsearau are added to Dabo and Tavlaridis in defense, and the backline now looks very solid. Matsui will join Feidouno, Dernis, Matuidi and Perrin in midfield, and add depth to already good part of the team. Gomis will finally get some support from great prospect Kevin Mirallas, and this already looks like a promising duo. The squad is considerably reinforced from last season, and it is also well balanced. The team is very good in all areas, and has sufficient depth which will come in handy, as they will play in the UEFA Cup. The team will need some time in order to challenge for the title, but they will surely achieve European qualification.
Our tip: Saint Etienne to achieve European qualification
Odds
Bookmaker: Bet365
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