LILLE
Thanks, probably a mistake I made, anyway Bielsa will improve Lille.
Yeah. Exciting times there. But I will follow Edgar who looks promising on paper
Ambitious Lille this season with a new management, a new coach, new recruiters
Official | Lille seal Edgar Ié capture
Former Barcelona B defender Edgar Ié has signed for LOSC for a reported fee of €6m, on a five-year contract.
Edgar started 12 games in Liga NOS with Belenenses last term and cemented a spot in the side towards the end of the campaign.
The 23-year-old was with the Portuguese club for just half a season, and will look to compete for first-team football having played in reserve leagues for the majority of his career. The Portuguese international is well renowned as a centre-back but is adept at playing on the right side of defence too.
Lille CEO Marc Ingla said,
“It is a player that I have known since his time with Barca. It’s a great acquisition that fits perfectly into our policy of young talents.”
S.H.
Edgar Ié will join Lille for €6m
Lille have brokered a €6m agreement with Belenenses for the transfer of Portuguese youth international central defender Edgar Ié.
The player will arrive in France on Wednesday with his agent Mr Baldé, according to
Foot Mercato, before completing a medical and signing a 5-year contract.
Official | Adam Jakubech is Lille’s latest signing
Lille have completed the signing of 20-year-old goalkeeper Adam Jakubech from Spartak Trnava for around €1m.
Jakubech, who has already made 60 senior appearances, pens a five-year deal with LOSC and joins the ever growing list of recruits under Marcelo Bielsa.
“It is an incredible feeling for me to be Lillois today.” said Jakubech,
“LOSC is a great club and I am very happy to be part of it. It is a great experience that is looming. Marcelo Bielsa? He is a great coach and I can not wait to evolve under his command.”
S.H.
Official | Lille sign Thiago Maia for €14m
Highly sought after Brazilian star Thiago Maia has become Marcelo Bielsa’s 4th Brazilian signing of the summer, joining Luiz Araujo, Thiago Mendes and Caju at Lille.
The youngster already has an Olympic gold medal to his name after Brazil’s triumph at the 2016 games as well as being the winner of the Campeonato Paulista during his stint in his native country Brazil. The defensive-midfielder joins the French outfit with a sizeable reputation, turning pro at just 17 as well as having over 100 appearances under his belt at the age of 20.
He told Les Dogues’ official website:
“I’ve worked a lot since I was a little boy to be able to one day realise this dream to come and play in Europe. I am very pleased to be able to seize this opportunity. We discussed this at length with my family and thought that the LOSC was the best place to evolve, learn progress. So I’m very proud to be here in Lille today.”
Lille CEO Marc Ingla went on to say that the transfer had been a long time in the making,
“We are very pleased to see Thiago join LOSC, a player we have been following for a long time and who was courted by very good clubs. Although he is only 20 years old, he is already a great player, probably one of the best in the Brazilian championship at the moment. He now has to integrate with the region, the club and all the conditions are there for this adaptation to be fast. We expect a lot from him and we are hopeful that he will help the team to move in the right direction.”
A.R.
Lille to sign Santos duo Caju and Thiago Maia
Ligue 1 side Lille are expected to imminently confirm an enormous swoop for Santos duo Thiago Maia and Caju.
Maia, a highly-coveted central defender, had been on PSG’s watchlist as well as that of a multitude of Europe’s top clubs. Lille have agreed a €14m fee with Santos for the 20-year-old, who is set to sign a 5-year-contract.
21-year-old left-back Caju is also expected to join the Marcelo Bielsa project from Brazil, in an initial loan deal.
Official | Boubakary Soumaré quits PSG for Lille
Lille have signed Paris prospect Boubakary Soumaré on a three-year contract.
The 18-year-old midfielder has played 16 times in France’s various youth ranks and also featured in Paris’ UEFA Youth Cup campaign last term.
Soumaré becomes the sixth signing under Marcelo Bielsa’s reign and will hope to learn under the manager, who has a great reputation for aiding young talent.
“Signing here is a huge joy, the achievement of all the efforts made during my years of training. I am committed today with the LOSC, a club which has an interesting project, which trusts young people. I am sure that I will learn a lot,” said Soumaré.
S.H.
Official | Ezequiel Ponce signs for Lille on an initial loan deal
LOSC have struck a deal with Italian club AS Roma to take 20-year-old striker Ezequiel Ponce on loan for the upcoming season, with an option to buy worth €11m at the end of the campaign.
The Argentine, who signed from his homeland in 2014 has struggled to find time in the Giallorossi’s first-team – resulting in loan moves away.
Ponce spent the duration of last term with Spanish outfit Granada and failed to impress, netting just twice in 25 league appearances.
The youngster will certainly hope to revive his promising potential with Lille and said this upon signing,
“I am happy to join Lille. I come with great ambition and I intend to give the best of myself. I am also delighted to be part of the team of Marcelo Bielsa who coached in the past with Newell’s, my previous club. He is a coach who has already proved that he knows how to evolve young people like me.”
S.H.
Official | Kévin Malcuit quits St Étienne for Lille for around €8.5m
Lille have completed the signing of St Étienne right-back Kévin Malcuit for a fee believed to be €8.5m. The Frenchman has signed a five-year deal with the club and becomes Lille’s eleventh new recruit this window.
Malcuit impressed last term with ASSE as he made 25 Ligue 1 appearances – recording three assists, he was also a prominent part of the team’s Coupe de Ligue and Europa League campaigns.
The former AS Monaco man said,
“I’m happy to be here wearing this shirt, I look forward to being on the pitch and evolving by working with Marcelo Bielsa. He is a great coach known throughout the world, who knows how to develop his players and push them to their limits.”
S.H.
Official | Thiago Mendes joins Lille in €9m deal
Lille have splashed out around €9m on Sao Paolo midfielder Thiago Mendes, who penned a five-year deal with the club.
Mendes, who has spent the duration of his career in his homeland, won Brazil’s second division back in 2012 and also had a hand in Sao Paolo’s Copa Libertadores run last year.
The 25-year-old naturally operates as a defensive-midfielder, but is flexible within roles and could potentially drop back into right-back if necessary.
“Since I was very young, playing in Europe has always been a dream for me. I hope to achieve my goals and win titles under this jersey. I also want to grow individually and collectively, especially with Marcelo Bielsa, who has a very high reputation. I hope to progress alongside him.”
S.H.
Lille have opened discussions with Manchester City for Wilfried Bony
Ligue 1 side Lille have opened discussions with Manchester City for the possible transfer of Ivorian forward Wilfried Bony, according to
RMC.
Bony, who is transfer-listed, is soliciting interest from China too.
Official | Kouadio-Yves Dabila joins Lille from Monaco
Young defender Kouadio-Yves Dabila has joined Lille from Monaco on a contract up until 2020.
The 20-year-old made his way through the Monaco youth academy, being apart of the club since 2014, and made his debut for the club in the Coupe de France this past season against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes after he replaced Andrea Raggi for the last half hour of the match.
“The LOSC is one of the great French clubs. It is a great pleasure to join the club and I will define myself as a rather calm central defender who likes to restart play while showing a lot of rigour and concentration. My first goal is to progress and show what I can do,” said the young defender, who is quite keen to join up with the club.
“Yves Dabila is a player with a fairly complete profile, firstly because he has a little experience with the pros, but also because on the pitch he is a serious and sturdy player,” added the CEO of Lille Marc Ingla.
“He is a player of the future who will soon have, I am certain, the opportunity to integrate into the first team of Lille.”
T.S.
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Official | Fode Ballo-Touré picked up by Lille
LOSC have completed the signing of highly-rated Paris youngster Fode Ballo-Touré on a free. The 20-year-old has penned a three-year contract with the club, after his contract with PSG expired today.
The left-back was forced into reserve team football due to the likes of Layvin Kurzawa and Maxwell being prioritised by the club.
During the January transfer window, Ballo-Touré was touted with moves to English sides such as Liverpool and Tottenham – but has now chosen to remain in Ligue 1.
The Frenchman said,
“I am happy to be here, I was really well received by the club and my team-mates. My goal is to play and play well especially, to progress with Bielsa and his staff.”
S.H.
Official | Lille complete the signing of Nicolas Pépé
Lille have signed Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pépé from SCO Angers in a deal believed to be worth €8.5million. The 22-year-old joins the club on a five-year-contract which keeps him in Lille until 2022.
Pépé had a breakthrough season with Angers, making 33 Ligue 1 appearances in which he managed to notch up three goals and one assist. He was also a crucial part of the team’s impressive Coupe de France run, playing in all but one game including the crushing final defeat to Paris St-Germain.
Pépé said:
“I feel a lot of joy at having signed to LOSC. And today, I’m sure I made the right choice. The coming of Marcelo Bielsa was an important element when making my decision. I am now very excited to work with such a coach.”
S.H.
Lille snatch 16-year-old Théo Herr from Metz
Ligue 1 side Lille continue their aggressive pursuit of some of their rival French first division sides’ best academy players by reaching an agreement to sign 16-year-old Théo Herr from FC Metz, according to
Le Républican Lorrain.
Official | Lille sign Luiz Araujo from São Paulo for €10.5m
Lille and Marcelo Bielsa has completed their first signing of the season, signing Brazilian forward Luiz Araujo.
Joining from Brazilian giants Sao Paulo FC, Araujo has been considered by many as one of the best young Brazilian players, making this a potentially great coup for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Araujo has been quite successful at youth level in Brazil, being top scorer in the youth Copa Libertadores and winning the U17 and U20 World Cups. He started his first team career with Sao Paulo as a bench player, coming on late into games and providing a burst of speed and flair to his side.
LOSC General Director Marc Ingla said,
“We are pleased to have signed Luiz Araujo, whom we have been trying to sign since January. He has the profile as a left winger who likes to stick by the sidelines and likes to combine power and speed, not forgetting his real qualities in front of the goal.”
“He is a young and spectacular player, who wants to be quickly and successfully integrated into this Lille squad.”
Lille are paying close to €10.5m for the 21-year-old.
Lille strike deal for 16-year-old attacking gem Fadiga Ouattara
Ligue 1 side Lille have reached an agreement with second division club RC Lens for the signing of 16-year-old attacking prospect Fadiga Ouattara, according to
L’Équipe.
The U17 Lens man will join LOSC for just €100k.
Lille Sporting Director Luis Campos lays out the club’s transfer policy
Speaking in a press conference this morning, Lille Sporting Director Luis Campos unveiled his plans for the summer transfer window as Gérard Lopez’s project begins to take shape.
“If you are asking me if we want to sign Cavani, the answer is no, that is not our DNA. We do not want to sign Cavani but we want to make the future Cavani. We like developing youngsters. It will be one of our aims for the coming seasons. For me, the most important thing is competence, not age. I know players between the ages of 18 & 23 who are very competent. Look at Ajax… I am in contact every day with Marcelo Bielsa… We have put in place a team of six scouts who are travelling the globe. Each scout works 80% on the French market and 20% abroad. Each scout will look around and consider a different zone and then compare his conclusions with the others. It is essential to compare players to the needs of the club.”
Marcelo Bielsa to begin work at Lille next Monday latest
Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa will begin his job as the new manager of Lille officially on next Monday latest, according to L’Équipe.
El Loco’s return to Ligue 1 is much anticipated. Last Thursday night, Bielsa was in Barcelona where he had a dinner with Lille’s imminent Sporting Director Luis Campos. The following morning, he had breakfast at the Hotel Pullman in company of Campos and owner Gérard Lopez. The three men were then joined by Marc Ingla, the Director General, for a day of work.
Out of respect for Franck Passi, who will be managing his final Lille game on Saturday against Nantes, Bielsa will not publicly become the club’s manager until next week. But he will be at Camphin-en-Pévèle next Monday to oversee four young players in the side’s reserve team that he is taking particular interest in at present. He will also begin to map out his pre-season programme, which is due to begin on the 19th June.
Bielsa will be in the Netherlands this week to supervise a match. Early this Saturday morning he will be in Affligem to participate in a meeting between coaches set up by the URBSFA. He is expected to speak twice for two hours, to present ideas, his style of play and tactics.