“Almost half of the squad has been renewed”: Paris FC in full transformation

Can PFC further challenge the two big guns that are OL and PSG? The question arises and is necessary following the arrival last November of the Arnault family and Red Bull as shareholders of a club projected into a more lavish dimension. "We have a lot of money, since we are included with the boys, towards whom a large part of the resources go," explains coach Sandrine Soubeyrand, whose players will face Austria Vienna (September 11 and 18) in the third preliminary round of the Champions League.

" However, on the women's side, we're still a small club compared to Lyon, Paris, Chelsea, Arsenal... We don't offer the same salaries and we don't attract the same group of players. We have to be ambitious - we don't always need fifteen internationals to be at the top - and also have a bit of luck. I have confidence in the project, but we have to be clear-headed. "

"We tried to find a good mix between players who are seasoned in the Championship and players with very high potential."

A virtue that is not contradictory to some pretensions, at the dawn of a new cycle marked by the very symbolic retirement of Gaëtane Thiney and a significant reshuffle of the squad. Ten players have been recruited, especially in an attacking sector in search of vital forces after having been relieved, since January, of Julie Dufour (Angel City), Louna Ribadeira (Chelsea), Kessya Bussy (Wolfsburg) and Mathilde Bourdieu (OM). The new arrivals Hawa Sangaré (Reims), Lorena Azzaro (Strasbourg) or the Polish Klaudia Jedlinska (Dijon) have fueled a mixed recruitment, between players coming from D1 and international, such as the Costa Rican attacking midfielder Sheika Scott (18 years old).

" We tried to find a good mix between seasoned players in the Championship and players with very high potential who have already demonstrated their qualities through their national teams ," explains the coach. " Almost half of the squad has been renewed. " The mission is clear: to maintain a presence in the top three of the rankings, or even better if they are successful.

"We've been finishing third for four years now and doing that well would already be incredible, it's not that simple. Then, second, first, the club wants it but the gap is significant. I'm not saying that we haven't reduced it and that we can't reduce it, but we'll see if we've worked well and if we validate what we've 'found' as players," continues the former captain of Les Bleues. Reinforcements have also been added to the staff, which has been expanded in the medical, video and scouting sectors.

" Last season's assessment focused on improving specific areas . To continue to progress in this area, we have more people, and therefore, by definition, more resources ," notes section president Marie-Christine Terroni. According to her, this is " the sign of a club with strong potential that has not yet reached its peak and continues to structure itself ." The construction of the training center building, approved by club president Pierre Ferracci two years ago, should be completed in January. The completion of a successful season is expected in the spring, as late as possible, of course.