2019, THE YEAR THAT WAS …  

“… exceptional. This is the first word that comes to mind because 2019 will remain for me the year of the first qualification by LOSC for the Champions League since I have had the honour of being its president. It was therefore special on a personal basis. However, by looking at things in a more objective way, I would describe it as very good as it led to a situation that I would like to reproduce as quickly as possible and in a recurring way, namely to position LOSC in the top positions of the championship." 
 
“I also view this past year as a solidification of the work of all the LOSC teams, on and off the field: the staff, the players, the scouts, but also the training; with our brilliant (continuing) progress in the Youth League, and all club employees. The indicators are positive at all levels and that didn’t happen by chance. It is the result of considerable and an absolutely systematic working method. We leave nothing to chance." 
 

YOUR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ASSESSMENT ?  

“When I think back to this experience, I tell myself that we wanted to play (and) that we played well, at times even better than the teams we came up against. However, the difference was made in realism and experience. We weren’t able to convert our chances while our opponents shone in terms of efficiency. Overall it was a campaign certainly with disappointing results on paper but which I personally consider positive in content. And this is one of the reasons why I insist on our desire to quickly find our way back to the Champions League, because in this competition, experience comes first. "  

JANUARY 3, 2020 : THREE DOGUES APPEARING ON THE COVER OF MARCA… FEAR, SURPRISE OR PRIDE ? 

"The year has started off well indeed! I also learned that it was the very first time that a foreign club, and even a club outside of Real Madrid, saw three of its players appear on the cover of the Marca newspaper. When you know that this is the most influential and best-selling sports daily in Spain, that says it all. I absolutely do not take this as a great promotional opportunity to sell this or that player; on the contrary. I welcomed this with pride, as an element of recognition of our work, that of having detected three talented players thanks to the work of Luis Campos and his team and also of having known how to develop them with us here at LOSC. So I’m very proud to have them recognised on a European level, like others before them." 

JANUARY 6, 2020: THE BEST FRENCH COACH IS A LILLE MAN … 

"Yes! Christophe (Galtier) received the prize for the best French coach of the year 2019. Through this very gratifying personal distinction, it is also on a more general level, the work of the club and its organisation that is rewarded. Christophe Galtier is a very high-level technician who works in a global, international, modern environment, with tools geared towards innovation and in contact with talented players. I would even say his mission is knowing how to manage a young and super-talented group by focusing on the heart of what it means to be a coach. This comes to pass thanks to the many supports put in place and available to the group in all aspects." 
 
“Christophe is very much a ‘project’ man. When he says he accepts that people will leave the club each season, there is no frustration; on the contrary there is pride as a coach to be able to develop young talents while ensuring the team continues to compete. That's our project: to develop players while staying at the forefront each season. Christophe Galtier helps LOSC to grow and vice versa." 

YOUR WISHES FOR 2020 ? 

"If I had two wishes for this new year, the first would be to have a good run in one of the two national cups. We know the difficulty of getting to a final. Beyond the performance of the team, it can also depend on the draw and the teams in our path, especially since we mostly already know beforehand the identity of one of the two finalists (smiles). But yes, I can say that one day I would like to see LOSC lift a cup, of course. And as far as the championship is concerned, the challenge is clear: I would like us to return to the Champions League. I’m an ambitious person. I’m very keen that our club continues to produce good play and establishes itself in the top places." 

JANUARY = TRANSFER MARKET … 

"I see it more as a window of adjustments. The manpower is well in place while a central defender may be required to leave. Same in midfield. We also know that we will have Timothy Weah back up front. The only surprise could possibly come from an important offer that neither the club nor the player concerned would be able to decline. We have already received proposals but I still think that we will manage this transfer window without losing any major elements." 

2020, A NEW PHASE FOR THE LOSC PROJECT ? 

"The first thing I would like for our club is to continue to see our number of supporters and fans, growing. One of my promises when I arrived was that I wanted to oversee spectacular football. Whenever we recruit a player we look for someone of that profile, like Osimhen, like Sanches and others. For me, LOSC should above all be pleasing on the eye because if the team is, people will love it, support it and want to see it, that’s inevitable." 

“We have just passed one million fans on Facebook. This is symbolic and also encouraging as at the same time, LOSC has taken on an international dimension. I would like to continue making it a club that creates interest outside of France, a club whose method is praised in Spain, England, Italy… I would not have the arrogance to say that we wish to be one of Europe’s greats, but I would like our club, our logo, the LOSC brand to be even more recognised and respected in Europe for its football, but also for its institution." 

A PROJECT THAT SEEMS TO INSPIRE ? 

"Is it good news that our forward-looking project seems to inspire other French clubs? I would say yes, because we are staying ahead thanks in particular to the know-how of people in place, such as Luis Campos. The structure that we have put in place is advancing in France and it is somewhat amusing to see that a project that was not well understood or received at the start is today inspiring others. But it is not enough to want to do or to achieve. Because of its structures (the Pierre Mauroy-Stadium, the Domaine de Luchin), LOSC must have high ambitions while giving itself the means." 

"If our system works today, it is because we have made the right decisions. With Luis, we always work on the maximum performance of the players, their potential and not on their age, as I sometimes read. The only mission of our scouts is to find successful players, regardless of their age. Benjamin André, for example, is not 19 years old but he was exactly what we were looking for." 

DEMANDS AT THE HEART OF THE SYSTEM 

“The LOSC project is solely based on performance. Financial results are simply a result of performance. And the secret of performance are the demands in every area. It would be unacceptable for me as President that everything that is produced at the club, in all areas, is not done with a view to performance. Be it the catering, the condition of the pitches ... everything! The whole club is performance oriented.  

"People only see the team on the ground as the tip of the iceberg and don't realise how central this requirement is in all areas. It may generate some pressure, but it mostly produces results. And I think we can do even better, that we have not yet reached the level at which I would like to position LOSC, namely as a club with the most perfect organisation possible." 

PROUD SUPPORTERS 

AND YOU PRESIDENT ?

"My wishes for 2020? For LOSC, I would like to see a conquering team: confident, which uses its talent to assert itself, which imposes its desire to win against its opponent, at home and away. And personally, I wish myself health, because with that, I will be able to continue to do my best for LOSC for a very long time."