[FM24] THE NANTES WAY

SteinkelssonFM · May 10

In the picturesque setting of western France, where the tranquil waters of the Loire River flow, a footballing institution with a rich history and timeless tradition stands tall – FC Nantes. Since its establishment in 1943, this club has woven a tapestry of triumphs and tribulations, etching its name into the annals of football lore.

The Golden Era: Step back in time to the glory days of FC Nantes, a period bathed in the golden hues of success. Led by the visionary coach Jean-Claude Suaudeau, the club embarked on a mesmerising journey through the 1970s and 1980s, clinching an astonishing eight Ligue 1 titles between 1964 and 1983. The likes of Henri Michel and Maxime Bossis, adorned in the iconic yellow and green, mesmerised fans with their sublime skills, carving out a legacy that would stand the test of time.

European Glory: As the sun set on the domestic dominance of FC Nantes, a new dawn emerged on the European horizon. The 1982–1983 season saw the club transcend borders, as they ventured into the hallowed grounds of the European Cup, now known as the UEFA Champions League. Though the ultimate prize remained tantalisingly out of reach, FC Nantes' valiant journey to the semi-finals captured the hearts of football aficionados far and wide, earning them plaudits and respect on the continental stage.

Recent Years: In the ever-evolving landscape of French football, FC Nantes has navigated through turbulent waters with steely resolve. Embracing a philosophy centred around youth development (much to my appeal) and stability, the club continues to chart a course towards glory, fuelled by the unwavering support of its passionate fanbase. As they strive to reclaim their perch among the elite of French and European football, the faithful followers of FC Nantes remain steadfast in their belief, eagerly awaiting the resurgence of their beloved yellow and green army.

THE GAME MODEL

I have opted to deploy what I feel is an incredibly balanced tactic, one which can simply be described as an asymmetric 4-4-2, of course it is fluid with the use of many support roles. However, you will note I have looked to pair roles which should work in unison, for example the use of the Segundo Volante, who when it departs is replaced by the inverted wing-back. Similarly, on the other flank the inverted forward will be replaced by the complete wing-back, who's duty will be to occupy the wide space. The Regista has been utilised to become the playmaker who has multiple options in front of him, making efforts to break into the box.

THE AIMS

Use the academy. The club has superb youth facilities, which has seen the likes of Randal Kolo Muani, Jordan Veretout, Quentin Merlin, and Imrân Louza be developed in the recent years. Current first-team players which have also played in the Académie are Nathan Zeze, Bastien Meupiyou, and Stredair Appuah Owusu.
Strive to make 'the league of talents' the league of European success - there is a distance between Europe's top four tiers and Ligue 1, when taking into consideration UEFA country coefficient ranking. Earlier this season, the Netherlands overtook France in fifth place for a period, Ligue 1 is lagging behind the biggest divisions on the continent.
Continue to recruit talent from Africa. Ligue 1 has been the land of milk and honey for Premier League teams looking to sign high-end talent for some time now. Ligue 1 clubs have always been innovative through their long-established pathways as a logical first step into Europe. This is especially true for players coming from African countries in which French is widely spoken.

The Bord have set their expectations for the season (Finish mid-table in Ligue 1), with the view to concluding the five year plan with European qualification. Finally, right up my street, there is the goal to developing into Ligue 1's best youth system.

There is an expectation to play an entertaining brand of football, I am more than confident that the game model selected will meet the need of both the board and the supporters.

PRE SEASON

Seven wins from eight as we build into the new season, given my lack of familiarity with the team I used these matches to get a feel for the playing staff. I will look to provide you all with a bit more detail on the individual playing units, along with any stand out performers from across the youth sections as the season pans out.

Edited May 11 by SteinkelssonFM

Swaban · May 10

im a simple man, I see a Steinkelsson thread & i follow!

Im currently managing in France with Paris FC with the aim of becoming the dominant club in the city, so im excited to see what you can do here

SteinkelssonFM · May 10

Thanks @Swaban for those of you who have been following my content since the early OGC Nice days, you will know why this club appeals to me.

FM21 was the year which in which my strange obsessed with Ludovic Blas began, since then I have followed his performances and outputs each and every game week, the large majority of games played at Nantes, prior to his move to Rennes.

What a player, oh how I will try my hardest to lure him back to the yellow side of Brittany!

SteinkelssonFM · May 11

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900 MINUTES

We have managed to make an unbelievable start to our career, the board are ecstatic with the initial progress made towards realising the club's vision, along with the supporters being very pleased with the clubs form in Ligue 1, despite losing to fierce rivals Rennes in the Breton Derby.

The game model stripped from the failed Fiorentina save is clearly OP (using those favoured team instructions 'counter-press', 'counter', 'much higher defensive line', and 'high press'), along with the combination of narrow width and focusing play down the flanks, paired with a fluid team, which I have had plenty of experience/success with in the past.

This is clear to see when comparing our results to our mental (above) and technical (below) profiles. Mentally we hold one of the lowest 'off the ball' and 'determination' ratings, we also are a million miles off average for 'flair' and 'work rate'. What we lack in those departments we make up for in 'bravery', 'leadership', and 'positioning'.

Technically we are below average for all attributes, excluding 'heading', 'marking', and 'penalty taking'. We also find ourselves slap bang in the middle of Ligue 1 in terms of salary (£18.72 million), miles away from the 'big four' with every other team under £25 million.

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

Team attacking stats to note

44% possession (16th)
17.34 expected goals for (3rd)
43 chances created (2nd)
119 shots for (5th)
17% conversion rate (2nd)
132 fouls against (1st)
185 dribbles made (3rd)
1146 high intensity sprints (8th)

In a nutshell, this team is a force to be reckoned with going forward. They're creating chances, converting them at a high rate, and causing havoc for defences with their dribbling and pace.

Team defending stats to note

43% headers won (14th)
7 conceded (3rd)
9.15 expected goals against (16th)
5 clean sheets (3rd)
136 fouls made (2nd)
70 shots against (2nd)
44 final third passes against (1st)

Overall, while we might need to improve our aerial presence, this team is doing a commendable job defensively. We're keeping goals against low, securing clean sheets, and making it tough for opponents to create scoring opportunities.

The score line racked up against Lens was our most comprehensive to-date in Ligue 1. The highlight of the game was undoubtedly a hat-trick from Mostafa Mohamed. The striker may looks as if he could either play hot or cold, scoring in only four of our first ten games. However, when he is on he is on, scoring nine goals in those four appearances (Lens (3), Clermont (3), Montpellier (2), and Strasbourg (1)).

The Egyptian forward is acting as the fulcrum in our attacking phase, showing his effectiveness/dominance in the air. Whilst proving to be a clinical scorer, currently outperforming his expected goals by 3.25.

The spearhead of our attack has scored 43% of our goals in Ligue 1, holding a conversion rate of 26% from his 35 shots.

UPCOMING FIXTURES

Just the three games across November, we face 10th, 6th and 18th of Ligue 1.

Muttley84 · May 11

Dont want to be that guy but my OCD wont let me be: is it Nantes way as in the graphics or Nates way as in the title

Otherwise a solid club to play with, I remember that in my only-Bretagne players save with Guingamp, Nantes produced good players from the academy constantly (some of which I stole). Good luck!

SteinkelssonFM · May 11

7 minutes ago, Muttley84 said:

Dont want to be that guy but my OCD wont let me be: is it Nantes way as in the graphics or Nates way as in the title

NATE DOGG! Thanks for picking up mate....silly me!

Edited May 11 by SteinkelssonFM

El Payaso · May 11

Never managed or followed French football at all. This is thereby going to be a learning trip to me.

I know finding a save that is interesting enough to stick to on FM is a bit difficult, especially if you want to do something special instead of just casual gameplay. I hope that this could be the save for you. I think in France it should be quite easy to focus heavily on youth development as PSG really is the only super team in the league.

SteinkelssonFM · May 11

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A quick update to provide you all with the outcome of of November fixtures and provide a little overview on the work our minimal scouting department are doing behind the scenes.

Despite the results not going our way, we managed to create 5.79 expected goals across the three matches, only conceding 1.29. Managing to impressively restrict the opponents to no gaols, or high chance shooting opportunities.

The match analysis within the data hub highlights one of our main negatives across these three games above, we managed 67 touches in our opponents box, converted into just two goals.

Our worst performance came against Havre AC, creating 1.91 xG and failing to hit the back of the net, with 11 of our 14 shots off target. Ignatius Ganago the prime culprit with 0.65 xG accumulated, missing a shot with an xG of 0.51.

Despite the slight drop off we remain one of Ligue 1's form sides, as we continue to defy the odds and remain three points adrift from league leaders PSG.

SCOUTING AND RECRUITMENT

The below is a representation on how my small recruitment team are set up, you will note that the three key attributes I value are judging ability, potential, and adaptability. (key for the size of our staffing team).

The staff are set up as best aligned to regions which they are familiar with, this gives them a significant head start with regards to talent identification, as they already know the area.

Once individuals have been identified I refer them to my head of scouting to give them the once over, if they appeal they will be assigned to one of three shortlists.

Worldies - a player which has been identified as holding either significant ability or potential, they currently are out of reach of our club (financially), or currently do not hold an interest in signing. If we receive a fee of significant value, or secure a boost in reputation these players would be the first port of call for recruitment.

Affordable Gems - players which have a current ability of 2 or 2.5, below the average squad players (3 star rating), these players have a price tag which is well within budget and also do not have significant wage demands.

First Team Ready - players which have a minimum of three star current ability, players which I can immediately turn to if another team presents an offer for a first-team player.

When looking at our world knowledge, you will see that were heavily focused on three regions, Western Europe, South Europe, and North Africa, to align with our initial aim.

FORWARD LOOK

A big month awaits as we face Ligue 1's most inform side and the super club PSG. Strap yourselves in for the next update!

coach vahid · May 11

Always a pleasure to read your adventures. I remember your article on Jean-Claude Suaudeau's tactic. Surely, one of the best football played by a team.

Thank you.

SteinkelssonFM · May 13

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After a night away from the screen to sit on the results, we can be proud of the outcome of December, despite losing two of the four games. To date all of our defeats have come away from home, and no team are yet to beat us by more than a single goal.

In the game against PSG, we actually managed to win the xG battle 1.93 vs 2.01 and Moussa Sissoko failed to convert a penalty in the 57th minute, which could have seen us secure a point.

Whilst away in Lyon, we again won the xG battle, this time more convincingly 0.83 vs 1.21, with Lucas Perri picking up the MOTM award for making five saves.

You will also note that there were five different scorers spanning the month. However, whilst it is pleasing to see, none of the goals stemmed from our leading scorer, and main scoring threat Mostafa Mohamed.

The Egyptian took five shots across the four games, accumulating an xG of 0.65. considering his current conversion rate sits at 21%, he really should have scored one across this block. This again reminds me of the fact that I am playing with a team in which consistency, and quality are ca little more erratic, with players not being able to deliver on such a frequential basis.

I think Nantes fans IRL would bite my hand off to be in third place at the mid-point. We can be proud of our initial form, which only has seen us pick up two more points than expected. In fact using the expected points table we should be second, it is Monaco who have amassed eight more points than the data points towards, Metz the second highest over performer (+7), whilst Marseille, and Lorient are both underperforming by -4.

Team attacking stats to note

Attacking outputs to note
possession 44% (16th)
Expected goals for 29.62 (2nd)
Chances created 73 (2nd)
Conversion rate 14% (5th)

Team defending stats to note

Conceded 12 (3rd)
Expected goals against 14.81 (16th)
Shots against 140 (3rd)
Opposition PPDA 4.7 (3rd)
Final third passes against 46 (2nd)

TWEAKING THE TACTIC

At this stage of the season, we have played enough minutes to take a deeper dive into the data hub. Knowing that there are four sides in Ligue 1 (PSG, Monaco, Marseille, and Lyon) that on paper should be always in the mix at the business end of the season, we will look to them for a benchmark with regards to a style of play which will lead to success.

Looking at the below stats, the possession rank stands out, now is this something we should be worried about? You will note that all of the big four all hold an above average pass completion ratio, and are attempting more passes than average.

The logic is simple, the more of the ball you hold the less chance the opponent has to score. However, when looking at the defensive efficiency visual, you will see that this isn't necessarily true to it's word, with Lyon facing more shots than average, whilst Marseille are also conceding more than average.

Our positioning in the above provides me with assurance that possession of the ball isn't an issue. We are conceding fewer goals than expected and also facing fewer shots than most.

Looking at the attacking efficiency, we are managing more shots than average per game, and are also more clinical than a lot of the teams.

Is there a way to have more shots, without jeopardising our impressive conversion rate. I know what you are thinking 'tick the work ball into box'. However, looking at the very first visual, we are a low volume passing team, that is getting the most from verticality, hitting the opponent hard and fast. Working the ball into the box will more than likely take the edge of our attack, as we ask the side to probe, whilst a shoot on sight approach, will lead to more shots from a lower xG, impacting the conversion rate.

The answer, or at least I hope, is in our set piece attacking efficiency, we have a higher expected assist from set pieces than average.

Play for set pieces will encourage every player to attempt to win corners, free kicks, and throw-ins so as to allow the team to bring players forward for dead-ball situations, attempting to command control of the match in that way.

If you aren't as confident at looking through the visuals, the 'Assistant Report' within the squad planner is always a useful tool to guide you tactically. You will see from the below, our main strengths are 'set piece chance creation' paired with 'heading'. You don't need to be Albert Einstein to work out that more set pieces, should lead to more chance creation, our average xA of 0.17 is HUGE, that is over a clear cut chance per set-piece.

A FOCUS ON YOUTH AND THE ACADÉMIE

A little insight into the three players that are in the first-team, all under the age of 20.

NATHAN ZEZE (678 minutes)

xG overperformance
Pass completion ratio
Possession lost

BASTIEN MEUPIYOU (402 minutes)

Tackle success percentage
Pass completion ratio
Possession lost

STREDAIR APPUAH OWUSU (315 minutes)

Goals assistsed
Expected assists
Open play key passes
Tackles won
Tackle success peercentage
Pass completion ratio
Distance covered

U19's

The U19's are also on a hell of a run, there are a number of talented young prospects playing their football at the club.

Herba Guirassy (14 goals) Anthony Kinkela (11 goals)
Anthony Kinkela highest average rating (8.00)
Alexandre Conti 9 assists (2nd)

FORWARD LOOK

biglew90 · May 14

Great stuff again @SteinkelssonFM

I’m intrigued how does the AM (a) and IF (a) combine do they run in to the same space or do they shift across?

SteinkelssonFM · May 15

GOALS, GOALS, GOALS

Seventeen goals in three games! It isn't very often you get to write that. We managed to outperform our expected goals value of 9.95 in this period, scoring seven more goals than the quality of chance created.

A large proportion of this was delivered in the game against Clermont, we were four goals up inside the first 20 minutes. Their goalkeeper Massamba N'Diaye having an absolute stinker, picking up an average rating of 5.7, although I have no doubts L'Equipe would have been much harsher with their ratings.

The result will also go down into our history books as a record high scoring game. However, our biggest win is still secure, we defeated SO Montpellier 8-0 back in 1956.

We managed to take a whopping 43 shots against Libourne, with 17 finding their way to the target, totalling 5.79 xG. Doing the math, that is 0.13 xG per shot which in my opinion is fantastic considering the volume of shots taken.

Mohamed Achi racked up a total of eight key passes in the game (record high for my time at Nantes), despite him building an expected assist value of 1.0, he wasn't able to walk away from the game with a gaol contribution to his name.

PLAYING UNITS

I am more than conscious that I am happily playing along without providing any narrative to detail players performances. Here I have attempted to give you a little flavour on the outputs of individuals within the playing units of the squad.

GOALKEEPERS

Alban Lafont has drawn down the most minutes between the sticks, the 25 year old is without a doubt the best goalkeeper at the club, as shown in the below player comparison.

However, Rémy Descamps has more than shown his ability when called upon and actually is out performing Lafont with regards to his save percentage 90% vs 76%. I made the decision to extend the 27 year old's contract until 2028 as I feel he is a decent Ligue 1 player, he only wanted £10.5k per week, which reduces my worry about recruiting for this position.

DEFENDERS

Jean-Charles Castelletto is the first name on the team-sheet when considering central defenders, the 29-year-old is our best air traffic controller, winning 74% of his aerial duels. On £20k per week, he is the second highest earning defender, with Nicolas Pallois the highest £21.5k, despite the 36 year-old only playing 174 minutes of football.

The veteran defenders contract expires in June, it is safe to say he will not be getting an extension, leading to the club freeing up some monies on the wage budget.

Nicolas Cozza holds the best average rating (7.12), and has filled a duel role operating as the complete wing-back. Nicolas is the main progressor from deep, winning the ball back on regular occasions and immediately looking to move the ball further up the field, whether that be by passing or dribbling. His engine enables him to cover large distances, often getting forward to provide crosses from the by-line.

Unfortunately, Nicolas is only at the club on loan from Wolfsburg, with no option to buy included in his contract. We will attempt to secure his service at the end of the campaign, I am hopeful that we can arrange a deal.

MIDFIELDERS

Pedro Chirivella is our best progressive passer, completing 6.28 progressive passes per match in the role of the Regista. Despite the 26 year-old Spaniard playing the most high risk passes, he also holds the best pass completion out of the quartet, showing technical ability.

Whilst Douglas Augusto provides the most box crashing threat with his average xG per shot of 0.11.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

There are three players which immediately get selected to play the supporting trident to the lone striker, they are Moses Simon, Florent Mollet and Tino Kadewere. A perfect mixture of profiles between them, Moses providing the dynamism, Tino the clinical finisher (30% conversion rate from 23 shots, and Florent the technically adept, hard worker.

Moses is leading the goals assisted stat (6), he is our other main progressor of the ball, this time via the dribble. The winger is not only putting in a significant attacking contribution, he also winning 83% of his tackles, winning 3.25 per game. Simon is also our most fouled player (36), 40% higher than Kader Bamba.

ATTACKERS

Ignatius Ganago is proving to be an effective back-up to Mostafa Mohamed, the 24 year old from Cameroon is effective at creating his own space like the Egyptian. where as Mostafa is more physically imposing, Ignatius offers more in terms of raw pace, and acceleration, providing a different type of threat when leading the line.

FORWARD LOOK

A tough draw will see us host PSG in the Eleventh Round of the Coupe de France, whilst we will also play the Les Parisiens nine days later in Ligue 1. February is a tough month, it could well be the month which will see us succumb to our first defeat at Stade de la Beaujoire - Louis Fonteneau this season.

Looking at the individual stats, Kylian Mbappé isn't top scorer, nor does he hold the highest rating. Teddy Teuma of 16th placed Stade Reims, leads the assists chart, whilst Philipp Köhn has the most clean sheets.

@biglew90 I will pick this up in my next update and hopefully clearly show you how the roles play out.

Edited May 15 by SteinkelssonFM

SteinkelssonFM · May 16

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Three calendar months separate Nantes from a potential place in the UEFA Champions League, not bad considering we were predicted to close the season in 11th place in Ligue 1.

Looking at the top fours previous positions, I think it would be fair to say that I'd be happy to 'stop the count' and secure the third place finish. We still have the second highest expected points in the league, and are only outperforming that by three points.

In the league we had a mixed bag of results, the 5-1 victory over Lens was one of our best performances this campaign.

Florent Mollet drove the team against Frank Haise's side, seeing plenty of the ball in the oppositions left side half-space, he managed to take all of his shots from inside the box, scoring two, and also assisting another.

Unfortunately, this result was followed up by a lacklustre draw against Toulouse, before the defeat to PSG. I want to remind you this was our first defeat at home all season, and we are still yet to lose a game by more than a single goal.

The result against PSG in the Coupe De France highlights just how hard we are to breakdown, we managed to limit France's only true super team to eight shots, worth 0.71 xG, thats 0.09 xG per shot.

Mostafa Mohamed came to our rescue in the games against Lorient, and AS Saint-Étienne, coming off the bench in both games to score five goals from eight shots.

The Egyptian becomes the first Nantes player to score a perfect match rating, he also leads the league in terms of average minutes per goal (98.50), with Gaëtan Laborde in second place with a goal every 105.29 minutes. If he can improve on his conversion rate (26%) it would see him take his game to the elite level, for information purposes Georges Mikautadze is Ligue 1's most deadliest striker with a 37% conversion rate.

TACTICAL ANALYSIS

I often see comments on social media surrounding tactics where roles appear to not be complementary. Those where the selected player roles look as if they will occupy the same space, example IF/AM, or MEZ/IW.

I will try and myth bust here, below is an example of how these roles interact and bounce off each other, the Football Manager match engine is on point!

IF (support) - with added player instructions 'Hold Up Ball', 'Roam From Position', and 'Sit Narrower'.

AM (attack) - positioned off centre, with added player instructions 'Take More Risks', 'Dribble More', 'Roam From Position', and 'Move Into Channels'.

Initially Mollet (AM) attacks the channel between Papetti and Danso, here he is positioned to the right of the lone striker, whilst Kadewere (IF) holds his position wide.
Mollet is tackled by Danso and Lens counter, until Chirivella wins the ball back in our half.
The ball is played to Kadewere, who has the 'sit narrow' PI, this time Mollet looks to exploit the other channel down the opponents right. despite Mollet playing the ball to Cozza.
Mollet drops into the pocket in the AM strata to receive the pass, playing the pass to Kadewere who takes the ball into the opponents box, who shoots and scores.

NICOLAS COZZA - A PLAYER WE HAD TO RECRUIT

As previously stated in the last update, I had to explore securing the signature of Cozza, his performances this season have been exceptional for Nates, contributing with eight assists in Ligue 1 (2nd place), whilst commanding an average rating of 7.17.

Cozza, an individual with a love for big matches, shows his ability to perform consistently in the league, perfectly highlighted in the above image.

His pizza chart below shows his ability to win the ball cleanly (84% tackle success), his ability to progress the ball via passing, or dribbling, and of course his ability to play a killer pass.

Defensively Cozza is performing above average in key metrics for his role, his 4.38 tackles attempted per match is significantly above average, he also shows a good ability to read the game, which is reflected in his interceptions.

Creatively the defender is in his element, 0.41 assists per 90, an assist nearly ever other game is an output that most number 10's would dream of. Cozza is creating a high number of open play expected assists and is again leading the charts in terms of this creative metric.

After approaching his agent, we were surprised that a deal could be agreed between £5-7m, at this price point, it would be foolish of me not to react. A structured deal was agreed, it was our only option given we only had £1.7m in the transfer budget, we agreed a deal which totals £5.5 million, with £2 million to be paid upfront and the rest in instalments over the next 36 months.

The transfer did come at a cost, we were £300k short on the initial payment of £2 million, after approaching the board with a request to add to our transfer budget, which was rejected, we had to accept a big from Strasbourg for one of our youth talents Malang Gomes, the young midfielder agreeing to move for £575k and a sell on clause which will see 25% of his next transfer owed to Nantes.

FORWARD LOOK

With 33 points still to play for, there are no easy games between now and the close of the season. Only Monaco stand between ourselves and another Coupe de France Final, Nantes have become a bit of a cup specialist winning the final in 2021/22 against OGC Nice, and losing it in 2022/23 against Toulouse. (FYI Marseille play OGC Nice in the other Semi).

SteinkelssonFM · May 17

YOUTH INTAKE

Our annual youth candidate intake has arrived for assessment, I have been blessed with an excellent intake, at first look this appears to be a terrific group of players. I would like for you all to comment on your favourite player, suggested role, and most importantly reasons for.

ELITE TALENTS

TOP TALENTS

Dogfacedgremlin · May 17

Great to see you back here!

The season is going very nice.
Some nice talents you got here also.

SteinkelssonFM · May 18

Appreciated @Dogfacedgremlin who is your favourite? What role would you play them in, and why?

Same applies to you @danielgear and @Lestri

Cube1397 · May 19

Miath is my favorite youngster. My first thought was Regista because of his passing, vision, aggression, and pace but lacks in stamina and work rate. But I think thats his best position in my opinion

Lestri · May 20

On 18/05/2024 at 15:17, SteinkelssonFM said:

Appreciated @Dogfacedgremlin who is your favourite? What role would you play them in, and why?

Same applies to you @danielgear and @Lestri

Favourite - Vrignaud and on a blank slate and play him in a Half Back Role - solid heading and bravery and could be handy with experience to play that role. I'd get Bensmann in a BWM role as well with some mentoring, he could be handy there.

SteinkelssonFM · May 20

@Cube1397 I have to agree that initially on face value Loïc Miath is the player which stands out as having the most potential, although I am not quite sure that he is a Mezzala as the game has described him as. I am more along your school of thought in Deep Lying Playmaker/ Regista role...I am praying that his attributes increase over time, as I see him ideally as a roaming playmaker, I want to utilise his acceleration and passing ability.

@Lestri Benjamin Bensmann is the player which got me excited, being from Liechtenstein he could hopefully become an international before long, I also agree with your statement, he would operate well in the DM strata as a ball winner, he will fit in well as my inverted wing-back.

Keen to hear others views/opinions.

Dogfacedgremlin · May 20

Vrignaud is my favorite. There is a lot of work on his physicals, but a player with such a work rate and teamwork is someone you can rely on. The bravery is also a big plus.

danielgear · May 20

I like Miath, wonder if he would be a suitable Half Back.

Lestri · May 20

16 hours ago, SteinkelssonFM said:

@Cube1397 I have to agree that initially on face value Loïc Miath is the player which stands out as having the most potential, although I am not quite sure that he is a Mezzala as the game has described him as. I am more along your school of thought in Deep Lying Playmaker/ Regista role...I am praying that his attributes increase over time, as I see him ideally as a roaming playmaker, I want to utilise his acceleration and passing ability.

@Lestri Benjamin Bensmann is the player which got me excited, being from Liechtenstein he could hopefully become an international before long, I also agree with your statement, he would operate well in the DM strata as a ball winner, he will fit in well as my inverted wing-back.

Keen to hear others views/opinions.

Had a longer look at them and here's my thinking on each

Vrignaud - I think has the potential to play any role in the DEF/CDM positions. Any crossing in the double figures makes me excited, and his mentals and physicals are solid allround, so any CB, FB/WB and CDM role could do based on your tactics. I also thinkhe has the potential to be a handy player if you wanted to change from a traditional WB to a IWB, assuming his ball playing related attributes improve over time.
Miath - I agree Mezzala is his best current role, but I agree with you that RPM should be his endgame. His determination and aggression does also wonder whether he could also be handy in the PF-S role if you wanted to be a bit leftfield, however in some playmaker role is my overall suggestion.
Amara - LW/RW/ST I think is the best for him. Got some work to do to be effective, but I'd focus on those areas.
Bensmann - Agree, even with his low determination and casual mentality, he does excite me. FB/WB/LM/RM and the CDM role to use that potential engine would be my thoughts on that. I did do a Vaduz save a few FMs ago so any Liechtenstein player gets a bump in my eyes!
Mohammed - basically the same as Vrignaud but a little less exciting.

Edited May 20 by Lestri

SteinkelssonFM · May 21

MARCH 2024

I always seem to have a month in Football Manager, where despite even if I am playing like a peak Manchester City, the wheels seem to come off. Now I fully appreciate that one victory, two draws, and a defeat, hardly feel like that kind of moment. Especially, considering the fact I am Nantes, who are predicted to close the league in tenth place.

We managed to create 5.45 xG across these four games, losing the XG battle on the single occasion to OGC Nice (1.52 plays 1.66). In this game failed to hold onto our 2-1 lead, the below passes completed diagram shows that our opponent created far too many shooting opportunities centrally. 41% of OGC Nice's passes were completed by Dante, Melvin Bard and Hicham Boudaoui down the left, taking advantage of the space vacated by our inverted wing-back.

The result against Strasbourg was good considering we were down to ten men after 38 minutes, when Samuel Moutoussamy received his marching orders for a horror tackle, whilst the game against Metz seen us generate one of our lowest xG (0,62) of the season.

COUPE DE FRANCE SEMI FINAL

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Mostafa Mohamed continues Nantes exceptional Coupe de France form, the side from Brittany has secured progression to the Final, making it three appearances in three years.

Failure to progress would have been a result which went against the grain, we had an xG of 1.94 with seven shots coming inside our opponents area, compared to Monaco's 0.49, and two shots.

We will play Xavier García Pimienta's side Marseille in the Final, a team which have an illustrious success in the tournament, victory would see them secure their 11th Coupe de France trophy.

APRIL 2024

April was a funny one, we secured a draw at home against Lyon, despite them being down to 10 men, after Corentin Tolisso was sent off in the 52nd minute. We had less xG than Havre 0.83 plays 0.46, however our only shot on target was all that was needed to secure a 1-0 victory.

The month was closed off with a performance on the opposite end of the spectrum, 14 shots, 4 on target, and no goals from 2.27 xG. Another brutal reminder that despite this season's valiant efforts, there is always room for improvement.

RENNES REDEMPTION

Nobody likes losing to their rivals, the return fixture at Stade de la Beaujoire provided an opportunity to the team to earn their redemption for the early season defeat to Julien Stéphan's Rennes.

Mostafa Mohamed had been hauled off the pitch in the previous two games (6.5 vs Lyon, and 6.4 vs Havre), which meant there were an increased chance of him delivering due to his spikey form profile. Boy, oh boy did he do that, the Egyptian delivered another perfect 10 performance, his second of the campaign, and first in Ligue 1.

With two goals from his five shots on target (1.8xG), he was deadly in front of goal. However, I wanted to highlight to you the above passes completed and received. Mohamed is playing in the role of the advanced forward, yet his ability on the pitch still reflects his best role/duty of Target Forward.

Note how many of his passes received (green) are centrally, and medium/long in length. Whilst the vast majority of his passes completed (black) are backwards, bringing teammates into play, aiding our progression up the pitch.

This really goes to show that you can play individuals outside of their favoured roles, yet their attributes will still impact their style of play in the role deployed on the tactics screen.

Nicolas Cozza also played a key role in the outcome of the match, his six key passes carved out four clear cut chances (0.52, 0.48, 0.30, and 0.21).

The above shot map impressed me with seven shots coming from inside the six-yard box, genuinely we could have walked away from this game with a few more goals than we converted. It really was the perfect victory!

FORWARD LOOK

With three games left to play in Ligue 1, we are well and truly locked in a battle with Monaco, Lens, and Nice, in the hunt for UEFA Champions League Football. Both Lens, and Monaco go into these games with superior form, whilst OGC Nice still have to play PSG.

Oliver Glasner's Lille could also play a huge part in the lay of the land as they face both ourselves and OGC Nice. Whilst we also play Monaco on the final day of the season.

Whilst the prize money in France isn't game-changing, the money from securing continental qualification and the potential additional revenue stream which this achievement will bring could well be game changing for the club. We currently have a net debt of £36,777,039, the goal is to clear this and then start to work on improving the infrastructure at the club, with the goal of creating a talent factory.

rich ruzzian · May 21

If you could win that Coupe de FRance final would be really nice. In a first season getting some silverware. More important is that revenue stream if you could qualify for Europe.

CameronFM · May 22

The domination over Rennes! Worthy payback in the end, they were very fortunate not to walk away with a more empathic defeat.

Interesting to see Mohamed being deployed as an AF, but still showing his Target Forward presence - something I had never thought to consider or look into before, but it has me intrigued now!

SteinkelssonFM · May 22

The final update of results from the first season in charge of Nantes, followed by the Coupe de France Final against Marseille. I hope you are enjoying the updates on my save, and a big thank you to those who have taken the time to comment. Believe it or not the engagement does help with continuity.

Bish, bash, bosh! On paper the results look grand! But were they enough to see us finish behind the mighty PSG.

LEVELS

with 15 minutes on the clock and the game locked at 1-1, Pedro Chirivella utilised every bit of his Flair attribute (12) by playing a pass off the corner flag for Nicolas Cozza to pick up and distribute to Tino Kadewere, who scored the first goal of his brace against Brest.

It was this moment of brilliance which acted as the catalyst to the victory, which was enough to secure the side progress to the UEFA Champions League, with two games to spare.

Lens, suffered defeat at home to Lorient, whilst Clermont secured their ninth victory of the campaign, adding Monaco to their list of high-profile scalps which also include Lyon, and Lens.

OGC Nice also suffered defeat to PSG which ensured that game week 32 was one that would see the top four spots secured, with the two fixtures remaining, deciding who would finish 2nd, 3rd, or 4th.

We were seconds away from defeat against Monaco, a defeat which would have seen us close the 2023/24 Ligue 1 season in 4th place. Whilst I would have bitten your hand off for this outcome at the beginning of the season, a single goal would be enough for us to close runners-up. Thankfully our set-piece threat has been a consistent strength, as previously documented, and the above goal was enough to change our fortunes.

We are part of a select group in terms of our set piece numbers, as you can see we score a higher amount of goals than average, and are also conceding less, placing us amongst two other clubs Lens, and PSG, who are the outlier.

My old friend the XPTS table shows that we deserved to finish in second place, we were rewarded for our form across the season fairly.

COUPE DE FRANCE FINAL

FC Nantes head into the final against Olympique de Marseille with the knowledge that history has seen them finish runners-up in the competition more times than they have won it.

Despite this fact, form does lie with us, having yet to lose to Marseille in our previous two games (1W, 1D), outscoring them three goals to one, with an xG of 2.58 to 1.32.

A few tough decision with regards to the starting XI for the big occasion, Marcus Coco, and Kelvin Amian were the two players I opted to remove from the starting line-up in favour of Tino Kadewere, and Jean-Kevin Duverne.

Marcus was the most unfortunate, his performances have been great, and his involvement would have seen Simon play from the IF role. However, Kadawere has been the more consistent goal threat from out wide this season so something had to give.

Marcus is outperforming Moses with regards to a few metrics when operating as our winger.

Expected assists 0.24 vs 0.21
Goals 0.16 vs 0.13
Possession won 10.76 vs 7.28
Passes completed 32.5 vs 26.44
Progressive passes 3.48 vs 2.31

He is producing lower numbers with regards to.

Non penalty expected goals 0.17 vs 0.25
Shots 1.58 vs 1.70
Pressures attempted 12.71 vs 15.45
Tackles won 3.11 vs 3.14
Dribbles 3.43 vs 3.62

The majority of the play was conducted in the middle of the park, as expected Marseille won the possession battle, walking off the park with 62% of the ball. They also won the XG battle on the day 1.22 vs 1.15.

Marseille created a high number of clear cut chances in the game 0.36 xG, 0.35 xG, and 0.33 xG. These three shots accounting for 85% of their total xG.

They didn't do enough to secure the result, a second half goal from Kader Bamba was enough to see us lift the trophy. Alban Lafont secured the MOTM, his ability between the posts ensured those clear cut chances didn't enter his net. Lafont has an expected goals prevented stat of 4.40, the fourth highest in Ligue 1, no suprise to see Gianluigi Donnarumma lead the way with 7.70.

We were successful in breaking up play, preventing Marseille from truly getting into a rhythm, where they would be at their most dangerous.

The victory means that Nantes fans have witnessed their team lift the Coupe de France two times in three years, a very successful spell in the clubs history.

The next post will be the season one analysis, and forward look to our second season at the helm of Nantes.

I wanted to sign of with this message which made its way into my inbox, if only we have that money, I currently find our bank balance sitting around the £8 million mark, maybe there is something they know, which I don't.

@rich ruzzian clearly there is no need for the additional income streams

Made me laugh anyways!

Dogfacedgremlin · May 22

Wow that was realy close in the Ligue1, but that second place is very well deserved!

Also congrats on winning the coupe the France.

What a great performance in the first season.

DefinitelyTaylor · May 22

A French save x @SteinkelssonFM. A match made in heaven!

and quite the first season here. Massive congratulations!

CameronFM · May 23

A fantastic first season at the helm! Very close game against Marseille in the final, but it looks as though you dominated the game in the important moments of the 90 to edge that victory - congratulations!

Just a cool £227M to sign Ayew, that’s just a dip into your pocket :rolleyes:

rich ruzzian · May 23

What a first season!

SteinkelssonFM · May 24

@Dogfacedgremlin such a close league, especially if you remove PSG from the equation, that's what I love about France, each year below PSG it can be pretty much anyone's.

@DefinitelyTaylor you know it mate! This save is bringing back some of those OGC vibes! Although if memory serves me right I managed to win the Europa in the first campaign!

@CameronFM can you imagine anyone spending that money on Ayew looool

@rich ruzzian can we build, how will we cope with two games per week! Aaaaarrgh!

SteinkelssonFM · May 24

It was a season to remember for FC Nantes fans, as thanks to results like the emphatic 5-1 win against Lens, we managed to finish 2nd, twelve spots above our pre-season expectations of a 14th place finish.

Les Canaris were one of the competitions surprise packages, consistently defying expectations to celebrate a successful campaign, one which closed with the lifting of the Coupe de France.

THE BEST XI

Below is the best XI as per the end of season in game review, as always FM slides in a few surprises based upon their very own algorithm.

I must admit, this tactic has been an absolute pleasure to play with, yes there is room for improvement. I am hoping with a better player, a natural in the IWB role, there is the possibility the effectiveness of this game model in the offensive phase can really improve.

For those of you who would like to test this out, I have included a link to download 'The Nantes Way'.

Less than a year after my arrival in Nates, I was crowned the best coach in Ligue 1. The last time the award was won by a Nantes coach was back in 2000-2001 when Raynald Denoueix won the old Division 1, now Ligue 1, accumulating 68 points. This points haul is still a record today, his side won 21 games, scoring 58 (record), and conceding 36.

TEAM PERFORMANCE DATA

It just wouldn't feel right if I didn't present to you some data analytics as part of the season 2023/24 review.

ATTACKING STATS TO NOTE

Goals 67 (2nd)
Expected goals for 59.45 (2nd)
Chances created 147 (2nd)
Shots for 432 (3rd)
Conversion rate 15% (1st joint with PSG, and Lille)

I have opted to highlight the statistics where we are within the top three best performers, from the above it is clear to see that our game model is extremely effective in the attacking phase of play. We are creating 40 more chances, compared to conceding them, a chance every 60 minutes to our opponents, every 126 minutes.

Looking at the below, you can see where all of our 67 Ligue 1 goals were scored from, with 85% of all goals scored from inside the box, and 82% of these coming from central areas. There is no surprise we hold the best conversion rate in the league, along with the second highest expected goals.

DEFENDING STATS TO NOTE

Conceded 24 (2nd)
Expected goals against 30.65 (2nd)
Clean sheets 15 (3rd)
Fouls made 462 (2nd)
Shots against 276 (3rd)
Opposition PPDA 4.65 (1st tied with Montpellier)
Final third passes against per game 44 (2nd)

All of the above was completed with 44% possession, the fourth lowest in Ligue 1. Given we are seeing less of the ball than our opponent on average, to have conceded the second least goals, and accumulated one of the lowest expected goals, it again highlight the defensive efficiencies of our game model.

Yes, it is aggressive (2nd highest fouls made), but with the highest PPDA, we aren't allowing our opponents to settle on the ball, scuppering their progress up the field, as reflected in the second lowest final third passes against.

All this with a fitness, and stamina attributes which sit below the Ligue 1 average within the comparison screen.

It is also pleasing to see that 62% of the goals conceded have come from those high scoring xG positions, if we are to concede we are making our opponents work for the goals, much better than seeing lots being scored from areas with a lower shot quality.

11 goals were conceded in the first half with 13 in the second across the breadth of the season, no real spikes to report on with regards to trends. The most goals (6) were conceded between the 1-15 minute mark, maybe we are slow starters!

SQUAD PROFILE

For those of you who have followed my work over the last few year, you will know how much I value a squad profile. I believe this visualisation is an excellent tool to use at the end of each season, from it you can easily see what youth players are getting sufficient game time and are really adding value to your squad, along with which ones aren’t and could benefit from being sent out on loan to assess as to whether or not they are good enough to be involved in your plans.

Secondly, it will identify which players are integral to your plans…you should know this as these are the ones you will be selecting week in week out! However what this tool does is help you to assess which ones are fringe players and ones which may be approaching the end of their prime and could be offloaded.

Now clearly this viz doesn’t cover outputs so it isn’t your only resource, however in my humble opinion it is a great way to see things from a different perspective.

What is the above informing me?

Development (<23) - the two standout players from within this age group are Nastan Zeze, and Bastien Meupiyou, both have played a high number of minutes in their breakthrough season in Ligue 1. Securing such a high volume of minutes at a young age, already informs me these are high value assets, which have the potential to develop into quality players, either here in Nantes, or elsewhere.

Mohamed Achi carved himself a first-team spot midway through the season when Pedro Chirivella picked up an injury, like the other two he needs to be presented with a contract to secure his services at the club, or increase his potential sell on value.

Three players failed to draw down minutes of any significance, two were at the club on-loan (Bénie Traoré, and Matthis Abline) wasting a year of their development time, clearly their deals will not be explored with regards to extension.

Emerging (23-25) - All players from this segment are contributing to the squad, apart from Ignatius Ganago who failed to draw down above average playing time. This was impacted due to the importance of Mostafa Mohamed, who carried the main goal scoring burden for the team. Whilst Ganago did feature, the majority of appearances stemmed from the bench, this lack on consistency impacted the strikers ability to find any sustained form, making him a candidate for selling on, due to his age which will ensure he holds a good market value.

Peak (26-31) - The players above the average in this segment are all in their prime, it will be important for me to attempt to keep hold of this bunch for as long as possible, with the view to ensuring consistency, and cohesion. Of course I am no fool in understanding an offer from a bigger club may turn heads. However, the player will actively want to move on, along with a fee above market value for delas to be agreed.

With Moussa Sissoko, Denis Petrić, and Nicolas Pallois's contracts expiring at the end of the season I will need to keep hold of the other individuals from within this group in order to ensure we have a good mixture of experienced pro's to help with the development, and mentoring of the youngsters coming through.

Experienced (31+) - Florent Mollet will be the only senior member left (depending on recruitment), whilst he played above average minutes last year, there is a need to explore a natural successor for the attacking midfielder. As with any other player that finds themselves in this category.

ATTACKING CONTRIBUTIONS

Whilst I had Tableau open, I thought I'd test out my muscle memory and knock up an attacking contribution visual, the below is a graphical representation of the main goal contributions by position in my best XI.

Now stating the obvious, our danger man is Mostafa Mohamed with 31 goal contributions. However, what you will note is that the game model is actually quite well balanced, with five players contributing with over 10. To make things better these individuals are spread across the width of the pitch, occupying four of the five vertical channels, if we can get a little more return from either the Volante, or Inverted Wing-Back we will have achieved a perfect balance.

BREAKTHROUGH SEASONS

A little segment dedicated to the individuals who have had a breakout season at the club, these Académie graduates have secured a significant number of minutes, contributing to the first teams success.

Nathan Zeze

Nathan (18) secured 1,626 minutes of football for Nantes across 2023/24, to be honest this figure would have been greater if he wasn't one of two promising left-footed centre-back talents emerging at the club.

+ Pass completion ratio
+ Possession Lost

Bastien Meupiyou

Bastien (18) is the other lefty, he secured 1,381 minutes for the club, showcasing his ability to impose himself in most aerial duels, exerting his physical prowess. Unlike Zeze, Meupiyou opted to progress the ball more via pass, rather than dribble.

+ Pass completion ratio
+ Progressive passes
+ Possession lost

Mohamed Achi

Mohamed (22) played 884 minutes of first-team football for Nantes, grasping his opportunity with the big boys with both hands. Looking at the above you will see he managed to make quite the contribution in both his attacking, and possession outputs.

+ Expected Assists
+ Open play key passes
+ Pass completion ratio
+ Progressive passes
+ Distance covered

With UEFA Champions League football coming to Nantes next year, the increase in matches to be played will hopefully see these three continue their development, along with the likes of Stredair Appuah Owusu, Junior Diaz, Lohann Doucet, and Mathieu Acapandié, being the next batch of Académie graduates to potentially make their breakthrough season.

Above is a flavour of what the first-team would look like if we were to field a team of pure Académie talent, based on current ability. Keep your fingers crossed for a weak draw in the opening round of the Coupe de France, although I'm not quite sure I have the bottle to even attempt it with nine of the 11 players on two stars or below.

RECRUITMENT

The transfer window was always going to be of significant challenge, we initially only had £2.1 million available to spend on strengthening the squad. My challenge was to ensure we have the strength, and depth to navigate two fixtures per week, and stay competitive in Ligue 1. This is going to be essential for the continued growth of the status/reputation of FC Nantes, if I am capable of turning them into France's second 'super club' along with PSG.

In order to bolster the war-chest I would have to first sell, Anderlecht (Belgium's Champions for 23/24) enquired for striker Ignatius Ganago, after a few negotiations, we agreed on a deal totalling £4.7 million, (£4m to be paid upfront). Game on!

Eray Cömert - having played over the average minutes threshold, as viewable in the squad profile, the option to make the 26 year old loan deal permanent for only £2.6m was a no brainer. The Swiss defender will bring much needed experience to the defensive unit, which will be of need when playing on the continent.

Tino Kadewere - If 14 goal contributions wasn't a big enough reason to explore signing the forward from Zimbabwe, then his agents estimated sale value of less than £3 million certainly is. You will note there is a theme in our transfer dealings (structured deals), a fee with Lyon was agreed for £2 million, with only £500k to be paid upfront and the rest over the next few years. (12 monthly instalments)

Marshall Munetsi - with Moussa Sissoko leaving the club, I felt the need to bring in an all action midfielder, one who could play across all three strata's if needed. Taking advantage of Reims' misfortune (Relegated to Ligue 2) there were always going to be wholesale changes at the club. Munetsi is a natural in attacking midfield, however his work rate, strength, and stamina (15), paired with his team work (15), bravery (15), and height 6'2 make him versatile enough to operate as the Segundo Volante. He was signed for £1.9 million, again with an upfront fee of £400k.

Ayoub El Kaabi - With the sale of Ganago, there was a need to bring in someone up top to provide some experience. At 31 years of age, the Moroccan fit the bill, he has scored 99 goals in 175 career appearances, a goal in just over every other game. Oh did I mention, his contract had expired at Olympiacos!

Enzo Le Fée - saving the best until last, exploring the loan market I was shocked to see Enzo listed by Rennes, the midfielder appeared in 20 Ligue 1 games last season, albeit only two were starts after his £17.25 million move from Lorient. The fact I was able to secure his services for £1.2 million, with an option to buy for £4m was insane. Ideally Enzo will be my replacement for Mollet as my Number 10.

Above is the squad depth refreshed for 24/25.

Our World knowledge is pretty comprehensive with regards to the scouting team, we are complete in terms of South America (South), and have an outstanding knowledge of Western Europe, and an exceptional knowledge of South Europe.

We had great news in the fact that our scouting budget was enough to cover a worldwide range, meaning that our scouts could begin assignments in Africa. I immediately set up two ongoing recruitment focuses in both North, and Western Africa, with the view to continuing the longstanding tradition of French clubs harvesting talent from 'the garden of Eden'.

INFRASTRUCTURE

At the end of the season I was surprised to find the below email in my inbox, the board decided to install undersoil heating at Stade de la Beaujoire, at the cost of £2 million.

I also approached the board to request further investment, this time in our clubs training facilities. Given we have so little money in our bank account (£11.9 million at the time of writing), I was shocked when my request was granted, at the cost of £3.7 million.

Whilst I am looking to make us have the best Académie in France, I felt it was important to invest in facilities for senior players first, I wanted to make sure we have the tools in place to maximise development in the short-term first and foremost. The revenue which will hopefully be secured from their success will help to drive further investments into the youth facilities.

The fact we have the best coaching team in the league, was also another factor in my decision.

SAVE AIMS

When I wrote the introductory post, I set out three aims for the save, lets see how we are doing in the early stages of aligning to our long-term vision.

Use the Académie

Clearly from the above section in this post, we have a clear strategy to integrate talent from the youth section into the first-team. This season I will look to invest into the infrastructure, by looking to improve either our youth recruitment (Good), or youth facilities (Great).

Improve 'the League of Talents' coefficient

This is more of a collective effort, rather than something which I can impact directly.

However, as you can see from above French Football is taking a nose dive, and currently sit outside the top five with regards to nation coefficients. This impacts our UCL places, which in turn impacts the amount of revenue coming into Ligue 1, the long-term impact, a potential decrease in player quality.

UEFA Champions League 2023/24 - PSG were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Arsenal, whilst Marseille closed their group in third place, Lens failed to record a victory.

UEFA Europa League 2023/24 - Marseille suffered defeat to Brighton in the round of 16 after entering the competition in Knock Out Play Off Round, Rennes also suffered defeat in the knock out play off to FC Porto. Toulouse failed to make it out of their group finishing behind Villareal, and FC Copenhagen.

UEFA Europa Conference League - Toulouse were knocked out by Basel after dropping into the competition in the play off round.

RECRUIT TALENT FROM AFRICA

With the increases to the scouting budget, we can now pursue this recruitment adventure.

CameronFM · May 24

Moving Ganago on for that amount of money (especially with the bulk being upfront!) is massive for you. Some seriously smart transfers in as well, Le Fée is an absolute steal, along with Munetsi.

SteinkelssonFM · May 26

Welcome back to season two of 'The Nantes Way' as we look to build on the previous success of our first season in Brittony, which seen us runners up of Ligue 1, and winners of the Coupe de France.

My initial gut feeling, is that we won't be able to repeat the success of season one, as I doubt the squads ability to negate the challenges of midweek football, as we prepare for our first season in the UEFA Champions League. The media gave predicted that we close the 2024/25 campaign in ninth position, our goal will be to finish within the top six, ensuring back to back qualification to continental football, and access to the additional revenue streams, which are essential for propelling the club forward.

With regards to Ligue 1, and the summers recruitment window, the total spend was £196 million across 115 deal. The league's biggest spenders was Lens, who used all of their £31.5 million received from Real Madrid for the services of Kevin Danso, with Ricardo Pereira being their most expensive transfer, only 7% of all deals were on foreign imports.

Surprisingly, PSG only spent £7 million on players , bringing in Guido Rodríguez (Free from Betis), Albert Grønbæk (£3.9m from FK Bodø/Glimt), Ángel Di María (free transfer), and Franco Watson (£3m from Club Atlético Lanús).

AUGUST 2024

We picked up the season from where we left of with comprehensive victories in two of our first three opening fixtures. Mostafa Mohamed scoring a hattrick in the opening game against Ligue 1 newcomers AS Saint-Étienne, which he then followed up with a brace away at Montpellier.

Marshall Munetsi was injured on his Nantes debut, picking up sprained ankle ligaments which saw him ruled out for the rest of the calendar month. Not exactly the start his season he'd have wished for.

In our opening fixture against AS Saint-Étienne we managed to rack up a total of 21 shots. As impressive as this is, you can see from the above that six of these stemmed from outside the box, along with quite a few others stemming from low scoring positions, as our average xG per shot was 0.08.

In the game against LOSC Lille, we only managed to see 28% of the ball, which is clearly evident in the above image, showing player heatmaps, passes completed, key passes, and shots. Whilst it could be argues that we were fortunate to walk off the park 1-0 winners, it goes to show that possession is just another metric, and one which isn't always heavily linked to the outcome of the match (score line).

SEPTEMBER 2024

Whilst the yellow juggernaut is still moving forward, there are fears that the packed schedule could well see Nantes wheels come off.

You can see from the above rolling xG visual that we are either hot, or cold with regards to the measure of quality chances created. Coming off worse against OGC Nice, LOSC Lille, and Clermont Foot 63.

The expected points table also shows how we are riding our luck at present, having gained seven more points than expected at this stage, which is a worrying sign for the club.

Thankfully lady luck is still with us at the minute, we again find ourselves sitting behind PSG in the league. The Parisians have already accumulated a goal difference of +24 with Kylian Mbappé already hit the back of the net 13 times, seven more than anyone else in the league.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Success in the UEFA Champions League is NEVER going to be on the cards. However, we will play a duel role in our debut campaign. First are foremost, each and every result which doesn't result in defeat will provide the club with a sweet cash injection.

Remember we secured £14.5 million in prize money for finishing runners up in Ligue 1, whilst £2.4 million is awarded per victory in the eight game league phase, and £797k for a draw. Let that sink in, eight wins will deliver £19.2 million, more than is on offer for a 34 game Ligue 1 season.

We have managed to draw down nearly £3.2 million form our opening two games, Enzo Le Fée immediately becoming a fans favourite after scoring the winner in the competition which Nantes haven't appeared since 2001/02.

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM

If you have been paying attention to the results above, you will have noted that Mostafa Mohamed has failed to score in the last seven games. Whilst we have experienced the striker having a spikey form profile in the past, to go over six hours without scoring is of concern. Especially when we rely so heavily on the Egyptian to carry the team with regards to goalscoring.

The below visual shows how the strikers form has dropped off after the games against AS Saint-Étienne, and Montpellier. It is time to take a little deep dive into his performances, to see if we can identify anything from his underlying data.

Looking at the players pizza chart below, you will see that when compared to players in a similar position across the top twenty leagues, he is performing in the top percentiles when regarding shots, 3.19, non-penalty expected goals 0.63, and goals 0.80.

Looking at this data, there is no reasons as to why I should be concerned with him having a six-hour goal drought. He is outperforming his expected goals per 90, and still taking a high volume of shots per game.

However, despite what this data is telling me, I still feel the need to delve a little deeper into his outputs across his extended barron spell.

The below image is something I have put together from using the data presented in the player analytics screen, whilst the xG has been stripped from the shot map.

Looking at the averages for the selected metrics, you can see that Mohamed is very much a fox in the box, his overarching involvement in games is minimal with regards to touches. However, it is in the box where the forward comes to life, averaging a shot from every touch in the box, with an average xG per shot of 0.35.

What this data analysis informs me is that in the run of games contributing to his drought, teams have been effective at shutting out the Egyptian, with Lille, Auxerre, Toulouse, and OGC Nice reducing him to less than two touches.

*note he didn't feature against Clermont.

Spending 30 minutes on the above has shown me that the striker isn't the issue, it is his supply line which has been stopped, impacting Mohamed's touches in the box, the area where the striker really comes alive.

If our opponents continue to limit our strikers ability to impact the game in the final-third, we will look to tweaking our tactic with the view providing an additional source of supply, this will most likely be a change of role on the left-flank from the inverted forward, to the inverted winger.

FORWARD LOOK

Luis Enrique brings the current French champions to Nantes in the opening Ligue 1 game of October, before we host Simone Inzaghi's Liverpool, which now includes the attacking talent of Michael Olise. Whilst we have to be excited to be provided with fixtures of this calibre, I am fearful that our amazing run of not losing a game to date by more than a single goal, may well come to an end.

Once again, I have an inbox from the board, this time they are pleased to inform me that they have made the executive decision to make extra transfer funds available, as a result of the improvement of the club's finances. We will go into the winter recruitment window with a much improved transfer budget of £18.5 million, meaning after triggering the optional future fee of £4 million for Enzo Le Fée, we will have £14.5 million to spend on player recruitment.

This is the first time in this save where I have had a budget of any significance available, and could see me invest in a player from the top end of the 'First Team Ready' shortlist.

Edited May 26 by SteinkelssonFM

CameronFM · May 27

A great start to the season so far!

Interesting discussion surround Mohamed. I too, am struggling big time with Sæter at Rosenborg, but your analysis and breakdown has given me a starting point to see what the issue actually is.

Dogfacedgremlin · May 27

Great start of the season.
Hopefully Mohamed starts scoring goals again.

Edited May 27 by Dogfacedgremlin

SixPointer · May 27

16 hours ago, SteinkelssonFM said:

Welcome back to season two of 'The Nantes Way' as we look to build on the previous success of our first season in Brittony, which seen us runners up of Ligue 1, and winners of the Coupe de France.

My initial gut feeling, is that we won't be able to repeat the success of season one, as I doubt the squads ability to negate the challenges of midweek football, as we prepare for our first season in the UEFA Champions League. The media gave predicted that we close the 2024/25 campaign in ninth position, our goal will be to finish within the top six, ensuring back to back qualification to continental football, and access to the additional revenue streams, which are essential for propelling the club forward.

With regards to Ligue 1, and the summers recruitment window, the total spend was £196 million across 115 deal. The league's biggest spenders was Lens, who used all of their £31.5 million received from Real Madrid for the services of Kevin Danso, with Ricardo Pereira being their most expensive transfer, only 7% of all deals were on foreign imports.

Surprisingly, PSG only spent £7 million on players , bringing in Guido Rodríguez (Free from Betis), Albert Grønbæk (£3.9m from FK Bodø/Glimt), Ángel Di María (free transfer), and Franco Watson (£3m from Club Atlético Lanús).

AUGUST 2024

We picked up the season from where we left of with comprehensive victories in two of our first three opening fixtures. Mostafa Mohamed scoring a hattrick in the opening game against Ligue 1 newcomers AS Saint-Étienne, which he then followed up with a brace away at Montpellier.

Marshall Munetsi was injured on his Nantes debut, picking up sprained ankle ligaments which saw him ruled out for the rest of the calendar month. Not exactly the start his season he'd have wished for.

In our opening fixture against AS Saint-Étienne we managed to rack up a total of 21 shots. As impressive as this is, you can see from the above that six of these stemmed from outside the box, along with quite a few others stemming from low scoring positions, as our average xG per shot was 0.08.

In the game against LOSC Lille, we only managed to see 28% of the ball, which is clearly evident in the above image, showing player heatmaps, passes completed, key passes, and shots. Whilst it could be argues that we were fortunate to walk off the park 1-0 winners, it goes to show that possession is just another metric, and one which isn't always heavily linked to the outcome of the match (score line).

SEPTEMBER 2024

Whilst the yellow juggernaut is still moving forward, there are fears that the packed schedule could well see Nantes wheels come off.

You can see from the above rolling xG visual that we are either hot, or cold with regards to the measure of quality chances created. Coming off worse against OGC Nice, LOSC Lille, and Clermont Foot 63.

The expected points table also shows how we are riding our luck at present, having gained seven more points than expected at this stage, which is a worrying sign for the club.

Thankfully lady luck is still with us at the minute, we again find ourselves sitting behind PSG in the league. The Parisians have already accumulated a goal difference of +24 with Kylian Mbappé already hit the back of the net 13 times, seven more than anyone else in the league.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Success in the UEFA Champions League is NEVER going to be on the cards. However, we will play a duel role in our debut campaign. First are foremost, each and every result which doesn't result in defeat will provide the club with a sweet cash injection.

Remember we secured £14.5 million in prize money for finishing runners up in Ligue 1, whilst £2.4 million is awarded per victory in the eight game league phase, and £797k for a draw. Let that sink in, eight wins will deliver £19.2 million, more than is on offer for a 34 game Ligue 1 season.

We have managed to draw down nearly £3.2 million form our opening two games, Enzo Le Fée immediately becoming a fans favourite after scoring the winner in the competition which Nantes haven't appeared since 2001/02.

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM

If you have been paying attention to the results above, you will have noted that Mostafa Mohamed has failed to score in the last seven games. Whilst we have experienced the striker having a spikey form profile in the past, to go over six hours without scoring is of concern. Especially when we rely so heavily on the Egyptian to carry the team with regards to goalscoring.

The below visual shows how the strikers form has dropped off after the games against AS Saint-Étienne, and Montpellier. It is time to take a little deep dive into his performances, to see if we can identify anything from his underlying data.

Looking at the players pizza chart below, you will see that when compared to players in a similar position across the top twenty leagues, he is performing in the top percentiles when regarding shots, 3.19, non-penalty expected goals 0.63, and goals 0.80.

Looking at this data, there is no reasons as to why I should be concerned with him having a six-hour goal drought. He is outperforming his expected goals per 90, and still taking a high volume of shots per game.

However, despite what this data is telling me, I still feel the need to delve a little deeper into his outputs across his extended barron spell.

The below image is something I have put together from using the data presented in the player analytics screen, whilst the xG has been stripped from the shot map.

Looking at the averages for the selected metrics, you can see that Mohamed is very much a fox in the box, his overarching involvement in games is minimal with regards to touches. However, it is in the box where the forward comes to life, averaging a shot from every touch in the box, with an average xG per shot of 0.35.

What this data analysis informs me is that in the run of games contributing to his drought, teams have been effective at shutting out the Egyptian, with Lille, Auxerre, Toulouse, and OGC Nice reducing him to less than two touches.

*note he didn't feature against Clermont.

Spending 30 minutes on the above has shown me that the striker isn't the issue, it is his supply line which has been stopped, impacting Mohamed's touches in the box, the area where the striker really comes alive.

If our opponents continue to limit our strikers ability to impact the game in the final-third, we will look to tweaking our tactic with the view providing an additional source of supply, this will most likely be a change of role on the left-flank from the inverted forward, to the inverted winger.

FORWARD LOOK

Luis Enrique brings the current French champions to Nantes in the opening Ligue 1 game of October, before we host Simone Inzaghi's Liverpool, which now includes the attacking talent of Michael Olise. Whilst we have to be excited to be provided with fixtures of this calibre, I am fearful that our amazing run of not losing a game to date by more than a single goal, may well come to an end.

Once again, I have an inbox from the board, this time they are pleased to inform me that they have made the executive decision to make extra transfer funds available, as a result of the improvement of the club's finances. We will go into the winter recruitment window with a much improved transfer budget of £18.5 million, meaning after triggering the optional future fee of £4 million for Enzo Le Fée, we will have £14.5 million to spend on player recruitment.

This is the first time in this save where I have had a budget of any significance available, and could see me invest in a player from the top end of the 'First Team Ready' shortlist.

Fee is some piece of business.

Liverpool PSG so close together will really show the ability of the squad. Huge tests

El Payaso · May 27

I'm sure you will do just fine in the big fixtures.

Love the small details in the most recent post. Is there any particular areas that you are looking to strengthen or is the plan to bring along the best possible individual on your list? The Swede looks like an amazing option.

SteinkelssonFM · May 28

@ElPayaso the section below on the 'Joker' window is for you.

@SixPointer @Dogfacedgremlin @CameronFM plenty in todays update in relation to your comments.

Welcome back to 'The Nantes Way', in todays update I will provide you the outcome of both October, and November, before delving into a few other aspects of the save which I feel are worthwhile documenting.

OCTOBER 2024

The end of Autumn for me is always a good point in your save to reflect on the league performance, by this point you would have played enough games to ensure your review is worthwhile.

As you can see from the above results we managed to navigate October with only the single defeat, this came against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

Our performances across this period saw a continuation of our declining expected goals for metric (excluding the game against Lens). Fortunately, we are still showing a defensive robustness, which has ensured we closed the month continuing our domestic unbeaten streak. I took a deep sigh of relief against RC Strasbourg Alsace when Mostafa Mohamed ended his goal drought scoring a tap in from a few yards, the shot had an xG value of 0.9, he couldn't miss!

We posted our highest xG of the season (4.55) in Ligue 1 against FC Metz, whilst the sending off of Matthieu Udol in the 49th minute for a second bookable offence, helped our cause, we had already amassed 13 of the 30 shots taken by this point.

THE JOKER

The French Football Federation grants clubs in Ligue 1, and Ligue 2 the chance to use a 'joker' and sign a player outside of the transfer window. A club in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 can use a 'joker' from the day after the summer window until the day before the winter window.

With the board increasing my transfer budget, I may have found the new £18.5 million budget, burning a hole in my pocket. Yes, I triggered the 'Joker' card, and made a signing outside of the usual recruitment window.

Tiago Santos - At 22 the Portuguese U21 player has the ability to come into the side as a starter. You can see from the below, he can operate anywhere down the right-flank. However, he has been purchased to boost the impact of our right-sided full back (IWB). The structure of the deal was £4 million upfront, with £3m in October 2025, £2.5m in November 2026, and £2.5m in November 2027.

His effectiveness in both the attacking, and possession phases of play are clear to see from the above visual. Whilst, when comparing his outputs to other full backs (Tiago is playing as an IWB) his outputs for someone only 22 are phenomenal, he has took to Nantes like a duck to water.

Lamine Camara - At 20 Lamine already resembles a player with limited flaws to his attribute structure, considering his age, he is exceptionally well rounded. For those of you who followed my Wolves thread over in the Tactics, Training and Strategies page, you'll know how effective he can be at the top level. The structure of the deal was £3 million upfront, with £4.1m in October 2025, £2.5m in November 2026, and £2.5m in November 2027.

*Bug - much to my surprise the transfer of Lamine Camara also was pushed through immediately, we played another 'Joker' card. After the transaction was agreed, I frantically googled the rules to see if our card from last campaign could be carried over, I found no legislation to state the case. We gained a player a few month early, due to what I can see is only a bug with regards to the implications of the rule in game.

The above visual helps me to visualise the profiles of my midfield, I have grouped attributes under different types of midfielder to help me to see the diversity within the group.

Whilst the acquisition of Lamine now means we have six players which can operate from the DM strata, we now have more diversity, providing breadth, and depth.

Destroyers - Augusto, and Moutoussamay
Dynamism - Camara, and Augusto
Engine Room - Moutoussamy, and Munetsi
Ball Players - Achi, and Chirivella

This information is used to aid squad selection, and substitutions, knowing what each player brings to the system, despite selection of role.

NOVEMBER 2024

Our form picked up significantly across November, extending our undefeated run, and scoring freely in three of the five fixtures. Unfortunately, there was no repeat of the drubbing of rivals Rennes. However, if your memory is a good one, you'll remember we lost this fixture last year 0-1, the late goal from Tiago Santos securing the draw.

The below is the match momentum against Benfica, showing you that these UEFA Champions League fixtures are panning out to be not as tough as expected. (more on that later).

FYI I am playing a heavily rotated side in the game prior to these fixtures, helping us to achieve our goal, draw down as much additional income as physically possible.

Closing in on the mid-point of Ligue 1, we find ourselves in third place. Other teams impressing, other than PSG are OGC Nice, Marseille, and Brest. Lens and Lyon appear to be struggling to get out of first gear, with both sides already suffering five or more defeats.

A FOCUS ON MOHAMED

Ok so our Egyptian striker has returned to his goalscoring form, scoring seven goals in his last eight games, five in two in the UEFA Champions League.

A massive relief for the club, as without an in form Mohamed spearheading the attack, we don't look the same side. Like Ignatius Ganago before him, Ayoub El Kaabi has struggled to perform when presented with opportunities, placing a greater emphasis on our need for Mohamed to perform.

Compared to his outputs in the last update, he has a better goals per game 0.88 value, compared to 0.5.

I know what you are thinking, what tweaks have been applied to drive this return to form, and improved outputs. The answer, nothing! Sometimes on Football Manager you simply need to trust the process, making tactical tweaks all the time can often be counter productive.

I had faith in our ability to continue to find our lone striker in the box, knowing that him receiving the ball in the box more often than not would result in the desired outcome.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Considering initially I thought we would struggle on the continent, we have in fact surpassed my expectations. We currently find ourselves in the top six positions, which would secure us direct passage to the Round of 16 (don't speak too soon) and have played some of our best football in our return to Europe's top table of club football.

Below I have highlighted some of the stats where we are performing in the top 20. My line of thinking surrounding highlighting these outputs to you are that we know the top 24 sides progress to the next stage (Knock out play off round), therefore providing a nice baseline for comparison.

Attacking stats to note

Goals 8 (20th)
Goals per game 1.6 (15th)
Expected goals for 7.86 (19th)
Chances created 17 (18th)
Shots on target 28 (16th)
Shots on target ratio 48% (15th)

We are doing well in terms of our attacking side of the game, the outputs in my opinion prove that we deserve our place in the top 24. However, possibly should find ourselves a little lower in the rankings.

Defensive stats to note

Opposition PPDA 3.81 (1st)
Final third passes against 49 (8th)
Fouls made 80 (8th)
Tackles won 116 (16th)
Clearances 85 (19th)

However, it is without the ball where we are excelling. I am proud to see that we hold the best opposition passes per defensive action, not allowing opponents to settle on the ball, scuppering their chances to enter our defensive third.

We have achieved all of the above with an average possession of 46%. Simply averaging those ranking positions (not exactly a great measure) shows that our average position against all within the top 20 is 14.

I will go on paper to say that failure to qualify for the next stage, based on todays positioning would now be seen as a failure.

FORWARD LOOK

The final five games prior to the winter break, time to go and play some more FM.

_Ben_ · May 29

This has - somehow - passed me by a little bit. Loving the analytical viewpoint as always and I always remember having a soft spot for Nantes way back in CM01/02 because of the quality of their youngsters! Keep t up.

CameronFM · May 29

Can you teach me the art of doing nothing?! I attempted this with Sæter, but the performances just glided all the way through the period of nothingness!

A great start regardless, and it’s good having the main man back in action.

Whilst you are rotating prior to a UCL game, what’s the end goal for this season? Are you looking to just secure European football - at any level - or is the push towards 2nd a real expectation?

SteinkelssonFM · May 29

Thanks @_Ben_ well into the groove now with this save, I am hopeful that it will take me all the way up to FM25, which I have already started making plans for. Next year I will try and stay more active in here, I have kind of dipped in and out this year.

@CameronFM The end goal is to finish within the top six, I need the additional income line (European football) to help propel the club in the right direction, investing in the infrastructure, with the view to ensuring we can be in the position to attract the best talents. Ideally another season in the UEFA Champions League would tick all the boxes. However, I am not foolish enough to think that anything less is a failure.

Edited May 29 by SteinkelssonFM

CameronFM · May 29

21 minutes ago, SteinkelssonFM said:

@CameronFM The end goal is to finish within the top six, I need the additional income line (European football) to help propel the club in the right direction, investing in the infrastructure, with the view to ensuring we can be in the position to attract the best talents. Ideally another season in the UEFA Champions League would tick all the boxes. However, I am not foolish enough to think that anything less is a failure.

I thought it may have been.

I was curious about your own goal given the league table standings as of now. It seems to be a straight shootout for the top four (judging by last season's table), and given your significantly better GD, I wasn't sure if the expectation had been ramped up.

SteinkelssonFM · May 31

DECEMBER 2024

A mixed bag in terms of results for the month, defeats against Brest and Monaco (our first of the season) enable PSG to extend their gap at the top of the league, whilst OGC Nice continue their excellent form, creating a three point buffer.

We threw away a two-goal lead against Spurs in the UEFA Champions League. However, if you were to have offered me the outcome prior to kick-off I would have bitten your hand off for it. We now know that a win in our last two fixtures secure our progression in the competition, a point could well be enough depending on other outcomes.

Considering my initial concerns surrounding the challenges of navigating the UCL and Ligue 1, we are doing exceptional (ok joking the Joker certainly helped, providing us with an extra body). Whilst a top three finish is still in doubt, Monaco, and Marseille will both likely have something to say, especially if Marseille can edge out their draws, converting them into victories, they will no doubt be involved at the end of the campaign.

Looking forward, we have a tasty few fixtures between the opening/closure. A trip to the San Siro to play Inter, along with hosting Dortmund. The fixture against Lille sandwiched between both of the UCL games will be a real challenge, especially considering they are also breathing down our necks.

Again, it is worthwhile noting that we have already won the last three fixtures against Lille, all without conceding a goal.

BEYOND THE FIRST TEAM

I wanted to take a little time away from the first team to provide an update on two of the promising talents at the club. Kinkela and Leroux, have both been loaned out to sides in Ligue 2 to gain a heightened level of exposure to football at a higher level than our reserve team offers (league).

Both haven't failed to deliver, despite playing their trade at two very different clubs, with Anthony Kinkela at Troyes, who find themselves in 2nd place in the mix for promotion to Ligue 1. Whilst, Louis Leroux is at the other end of the table (17th) in a relegation dogfight.

ANTHONY KINKELA

The 18 year old striker is showing that goal scoring comes naturally in Ligue 2, hitting the back of the net 9 times in 16 appearances thus far. The youngster holds a 27% conversion rate (8th) in Ligue 2, and has racked up the third highest non penalty xG 7.09, which he is outperforming. Eyes locked in with the view to playing a supporting role as our inside forward next year.

LOUIS LEROUX

Unlike Kinkela, Louis is playing football at the opposite end of the spectrum, his attacking contributions from attacking midfield are paramount to Cholet's survival hopes. The 19 year old is contributing with a goal or assist each game, playing 15 times, scoring nine and assisting six. Louis currently holds the second best conversion rate in the league (39%), and is outperforming his open play expected assists value of 2.84.

RESERVES

The reserves are in Championnat National 2, and find themselves seven points clear of second place. It is worthwhile noting that B teams are not allowed to be promoted from this division. Therefore, there is a real need to explore an affiliate club in the French lower leagues, either Ligue 2, or Championnat National to easily provide talent with an opportunity without the need to navigate the luck of the loan market.

Within the current squad of 29 players, we have been notified that the below three are potential first-team candidates. You will note from their progress, they are stagnating, probably due to the fact they are playing/training at the wrong level. I immediately actioned them to train with the first-team.

Académie

The youngsters are well on track for securing back to back league titles. Again there are currently 39 players within the squad, far too many to ensure a focus on minutes/development.

Therefore I will look to conduct a review of all playing staff below the first-team with the view to chopping numbers in each team to 18, replicating the model as followed at Ajax.

Player outputs to note

Goals 13- Billel Amara (1st)
Expected goals underperformance Billel Amara -3.66 (1st)
Conversion rate - Herba Guirassy 37%
Open play key passes - Brayan Nzita 18 (2nd), Loic Maith 16 (3rd)

JANUARY 2025

The opening two games of the calendar year were in the Coupe de France, enabling me to play a rotated side in both fixtures, providing opportunities to some of those individuals mentioned above.

Remember the name: Billel Amara became the clubs youngest player at 16 years, and 135 days against Bordeaux in the Coupe de France. One stage later he also became the youngest player to score for Nantes, aged 16 years, and 148 days.

A defeat away to Inter wasn't enough to dampen our spirits, as a late goal by Jean-Charles Castelletto against Lille ensured we provided a buffer from one of the chasing pack in Ligue 1. Despite seeing less of the ball we were able to create the best chances of the game, in which Lille were down to 10 men after Jefferson Lerma saw red.

The final result against Dortmund was enough to see us progress in Europe, finishing three points outside of the automatic qualification zone. The game was fairly equal with both sides having spells of sustained pressure across the match, Mostafa Mohamed missed his first penalty in the game after dispatching his previous six.

Clearly impressed by our performance against them in the UCL, Tottenham came knocking with regards to their vacant managerial position, they were immediately told where to go.

Magnus Steinkelsson showing his loyalty, by signing a new contract with the club until 2028.

JAPHET N'DORAM

Mostafa also was awarded Ligue 1's best foreign player, the last time Nantes has a winner was back in 1994 (I was in year 5/6) with Japhet N'Doram (Chadian) collecting the personal accolade.

_Ben_ · May 31

1 hour ago, SteinkelssonFM said:

LOUIS LEROUX

Unlike Kinkela, Louis is playing football at the opposite end of the spectrum, his attacking contributions from attacking midfield are paramount to Cholet's survival hopes. The 19 year old is contributing with a goal or assist each game, playing 15 times, scoring nine and assisting six. Louis currently holds the second best conversion rate in the league (39%), and is outperforming his open play expected assists value of 2.84.

I could see it from Kinkela at a top of the table club but those outputs from Louis Theroux (yeah, you try and get that out of your head now!) are simply sublime at the level he's at. Keeping them up single handedly, surely?!

SteinkelssonFM · May 31

A made the executive decision that the time was right to dip into the market for a striker, needing to bring in a player to play second string to Mostafa Mohamed. However, unlike those who have come before, there is a need for this individual to have the profile suitable for leading the line here at Natntes.

The requirements

Height, over 6'0
Strong
Excellent jumping reach

Clearly the role I am looking to recruit is that of a traditional battering ram. This type of player is tall, strong, and brave, who are excellent headers of the ball. The battering ram is unleashed on defenders, acting as the focal point of our attack. Unlike the traditional battering ram, who often plays with their back to goal, creating havoc, bringing others into the game. Our battering ram needs to be quick off the mark, enabling them to run the channels, stretch the opponent, and get on the end of those whipped crosses.

Above the list of individuals from the scouted list which fit the bill. However, you will note that our highest recommended player is way out of budget. We only had £2.1 million left in terms of the transfer budget. I once again needed to be savvy with the package offered, and let's not forget the player would need to come to the club with limited expected game time.

This ruled out Marko Milovanović who is having an excellent campaign with Almeria, the forward is scoring freely in the Spanish second tier, with a goals per 90 output of 0.74 and a conversion rate of 19.5%.

After speaking to the agent of Rafiu Durosinmi it was apparent that FC Viktoria Plzeň would be keen to cash in on the Nigerian, as he only had 18 months left on his current contract, a fee of between £3 million and £6 million was quoted.

Rafiu is a right-footed striker who generates a goal-scoring threat from his actions inside the oppositions box, constantly stretching defences. Providing technical security to his team's attack, often on the lookout to collect and connect to attack if he's not playing as a lone striker. He scores goals in expansive forms, his one-footedness brings a few limitations, skilled in using his head, in fact one could make a case that he scores more goals from headers than his other foot. The combination of all these abilities makes him a handful for defenders and adds to his box and overall threat. (breakingthelines)

A structured deal was agreed for the 22 year old Nigerian, £1.3 million up front....yes you read that right, with a following £833k to be paid in January 2026, followed by circa £400k to be paid for the next five years.

Rafiu's debut wasn't mind-blowing. However, the one statistic that matters, he converted his only shot, to get his account for Nantes up and running. If his first performance is anything to go by, we could now have the back-up striker we have craved over the last two seasons.

rich ruzzian · June 1

A shame you couldn't afford Den Boggende. I have seen him grow into one of the best dutch strikers later on in the game.

If only your new back-up striker could hold on to this statistic of scoring his only shot

Edited June 1 by rich ruzzian

SteinkelssonFM · June 2

Without having to worry too much about spoiling it for you, it is safe to say that statistic no longer remains @rich ruzzian

With regards to Den Boggende, it will be a few more years before I have that sort of spending power. The deals for Lamine, and Santos (both £12) were record deals for the club, and whilst we have quite a lot of talent coming through for all other positions, apart from a back up for CWB (more on that in the next post 👀) we shouldn't really need to spend heavily, unless one of our key players is purchased.

rich ruzzian · June 2

No surprise there @SteinkelssonFM

Jogo Bonito · June 2

Fantastic thread, well written and a great layout graphically too. Nantes are an easy like from the vibrant kit colours to their rich history. The youth system and focus on it makes them a perfect choice and one that I should have tried myself by now but never did.

An example of how well told the story is so far was shown by the hunt for the new striker. Identifying what you wanted with key attributes matches my own way and I enjoyed the thought process of explaining the reasons why you ended up choosing the one you did. Durosinmi is a great pick by the way.

To close up, Lamine Camara is also a terrific signing and very well suited to your project and a club like Nantes.

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[FM24] THE NANTES WAY

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