SteinkelssonFM

SEPTEMBER 2025 My tongue in cheek predictions for September weren't too far off the mark. We had an excellent month on the pitch, the highlight for me being the fact that we only conceded the single goal, scoring 11 in return, a +10 goal difference swing. The early form guide is enough to see us perched delicately on top of Ligue 1, the only side after eight games to remain without defeat. PSG are the leagues most clinical in front of goal, whilst Marseille are the toughest to break down. Strasbourg could well be in for a very long campaign, the only team yet to secure a victory. A FOCUS ON ENZO LE FÉE One player has stood out from the rest across the month, the little maestro Enzo, contributing four goals and one assist across the calendar month. It is worthwhile noting Enzo is also slightly underperforming his expected assists metric, along with racking up 2.33 key passes per match. The below shows how much of an outlier he is compared to other midfielders in Ligue 1, which is why he is already only one goal shy of his career best in the league (5). If he can continue this form, Rennes must surely be kicking themselves for agreeing to sale the 25 year old for such a diminutive fee. October is going to be a tricky month to navigate, with trips to the Allianz Stadium in Turin to play Vincent Kompany's Juventus. Along with the journey to the south of France to face Jean-Pierre Papin's Marseille, who beat us 3-0 in our last run out against them in Ligue 1.

@Lestri I am fully aware that I will need to manage his playing time, with a focus on ensuring he has enough fuel left in the tank to perform highly off the pitch. This is where the training performance data comes in handy, along with the player progress tab, which can be found within the development section. As you can see from the above, Pape's development took a hit initially after moving him to the first team, likely due to him only being two star current ability (I normally only move players into the first team with two and a half stars). I expect the intensity of the training, along with the challenge of training with players at a higher level than him was initially challenging. However, it appears he has started to find his feet and his development is moving along the right trajectory. This is reflected in his training rating of 8.85.

Thanks for joining me as we enter the third season in charge of Nantes, in our quest to lift the Ligue 1 trophy. In todays update I cover July and August of 2025, looking at pre-season, the UEFA Europe League draw, along with a little more on our Nantes born and bred newgen. PRE SEASON Five games were scheduled before we faced OGC Nice in the Trophée des Champions, the French equivalent of the FA Community Shield. You will be able to see from the above, we managed to win all five games, scoring 20 goals in the process, whilst only conceding two. However, this wasn't the main headline from pre-season, looking at the granularity you will note that Pape Seck managed to score in every friendly. In fact, he scored seven goals in five games, which provided me with a problem, a good one at that. As you can see from the above comparison Seck (Green) is lacking the presence which the Egyptian brings, making up with vision, and technical ability. Despite his goalscoring form, ideally I want to keep both on the pitch. However, when comparing Seck to our current Attacking Midfielder, Enzo Le Fée, the youngster is much more closely aligned. Making me believe he should be looking to operate more as a 'creator' than a 'finisher'. So I will opt to change his player role from 'Advanced Forward' to a 'False 9' or 'Trequartista' when playing as the spearhead moving forward. AUGUST 2025 Continuing with the theme of Pape Seck, the striker/attacking midfielder (can't for the life of me figure out where he will play) ensured the media attention was all about him. Despite losing the Trophée des Champions on penalties to OGC Nice, Seck ensured his senior debut ended up with him on the scoresheet. This goal seen the youngster become the youngest ever goal scorer for the club, wiping Billel Amara out of the history books, being 133 days younger than the promising inside forward (now loaned out to Ligue 1 AC Ajaccio). However, it didn't stop there! Three games later Seck wrote himself into Ligue 1 history, becoming the leagues youngest ever goal scorer with his goal against Lorient. Again, he cleared the previous holder Federico Fernandez by 30 days. If breaking those two records wasn't enough, the youngsters performance against Rennes was enough to continue to build the noise surrounding his hype. To score a brace in your first fixture against your local rivals is surely enough to send France's northernmost region into a frenzy. Looking at his accompanying chalkboard, you will see how central the advanced forward operates, again similarly to Mostafa Mohamed the two touches in the box (six yard) result in goals. Four games in, not too much to report on with regards to the league table, other than look at OGC Nice, not what you'd call the perfect start for the side which are looking to retain their crown. Above a flavour of our best performers, Moses Simon well on his way to beat his highest assists (8) after the opening four games. Whilst Kylian Mbappé continues to do what he does best. UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE The draw for the UEFA Europa League has been made, we are presented with some spicy opponents, Manchester United, and Juventus the highest ranked. However, I am looking forward to the fixture in Slovenia, to play SK Slovan Bratislava, as the Tehelné pole stadium is one which has always caught my eye. FYI I have a little bit of an obsession with Stadia, and architecture. FORWARD LOOK Five from five surely! au revoir!

@El Payaso thanks for commenting, the save is perfect, being able to play without going into too much detail is pretty refreshing. Whilst some people opt to avoid any of the big five leagues, I have to say that for me France is pretty unique. Plenty of clubs have a significant pulling power with regards to recruitment. However, given the lower coefficient, and most likely lack of revenue IRL with regards to broadcasting, their is still an importance on both youth and player progressions into the likes of the Premier League, and La Liga. @keeper#1 he was a player which I had an eye on during my days with Ajax, the beauty of playing a save that goes more than three seasons deep, you get to have a feeling on how some of the players develop...that's not cheating right 😂

Time to reflect on another season at the helm of Nantes, Brittany's most reputable club! Yes, after a slight uplift to our reputation (4 stars), we now find ourselves the highest ranked club from the regions, as Rennes are on a decline (3.5 stars). My initial fears of finishing in fifth place were unnecessary, we ended up closing the 2024/25 season in fourth place, missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification by the single point. The outcome could have been different if we were able to secure a victory against Monaco in the Ligue 1 penultimate fixture. However, after drawing the fixture, our fate would be in the hands of FC Metz on the last day of the season. We did our part, dismantling Montpellier by five goals, a result which meant they would have to navigate the Ligue 1/ Ligue 2 Playoff, which they failed to do, seeing Havre AC return back to the top tier. Unfortunately, Monaco matched our result, securing Adi Hütter's team a well deserved place in Europe's best club competition. OGC Nice have provided us all with the faith that the impossible can be achieved, Francesco Farioli's side have managed to score in 30 consecutive games, outperforming their expected points tally by 19 points to secure the title. As you can see from the above, our final position is fair and justified. PSG opted to part company with their manager Luis Enrique and have decided to call upon the services of José Mourinho. The standout individual performances in Ligue 1 were dominated by PSG, Kylian Mbappé scoring 35 goals in 34 games is his highest league scoring total in his career. COUPE DE FRANCE And it was all yellow! A victory over Ligue 2 side Angers in the Coupe de France Final meant that we lifted our second trophy in as many seasons. Angers completed the unthinkable in the Quarter Final defeating PSG on penalties, followed by a Semi-Final 2-0 victory over Toulouse. Our route to the Final could have been stopped short in the Quarter Finals, fortunately we navigated the luck of the penalty shoot-out against LOSC Lille, the result was followed up with an easy victory over Marseille (3-1). Looking at the above, you will see that the outcome was never in doubt with Nantes securing the vast amount of attacking momentum. Moses Simon had a day to remember, scoring a brace, whilst Nicolas Cozza was the stand out player, playing eight progressive passes, aiding our fast transitions. TEAM PERFORMANCE DATA Time to compare some of the standout metrics from this campaign, against those from 2023/24. Attacking stats to note Goals 69 (2nd) plays 67 Expected Goals 61.49 (3rd) plays 59.45 Shots 461 (3rd) plays 432 Chances created 125 (5th) plays 147 Shots on target 45.34 plays 42.36 Dribbles completed 18.85 (2nd) plays 16.71 Conversion rate 14% (4th) plays 15% The attacking statistics are very much, a much of a muchness when comparing our outputs across the two campaigns. We created a higher expected goals value in 2024/25, scoring more goals, taking 30 more shots. However, when looking at the expected goals per shot, the value only dips by 0.01, which shows we weren't compromising the shot quality in those additional strikes. This is highlighted in the above image, showing that 82% of our goals stem from inside the opponents area, all which has been achieved without 'Work Ball Into Box' being selected. defending stats to note Conceded 23 (3rd) plays 24 Expected goals against 33.81 (4th) plays 30.65 Clean sheets 16 (4th) plays 15 Fouls made 412 (3rd) plays 462 Shots against 276 (3rd) - Exactly the same as 2023/24 Opposition PPDA 4.66 (3rd) plays 4.66 Final third passes against per game 45 (3rd) plays 44 All of this was achieved with 47% possession, three percent higher than the last campaign. BREAKTHROUGH SEASONS Time to look at a few players who made their breakthrough season into the first team, all have stemmed from within the Nantes Académie. Stredair Appuah Owusu The 20 year old winger secured 1,400 minutes of first team football across the campaign, contributing with four goals and three assists. His creative statistics are the ones which stand out the most, Stredair has demonstrated his ability to create a high number of expected assists (0.33 per 90). The winger is racking up 4.63 dribbles per game, using his pace and close control of the ball to progress play and create chances. With Moses Simon approaching his 30's, Stredair is the natural successor to hold Nantes width down the right-flank. Junior Diaz The introduction of the 21 year old into the first team only arose due to Eray Cömert suffering a pulled calf muscle and Jean-Charles Castelletto having to sit out a game due to a ban. Diaz snatched the opportunity with both hands, and to be frank, I have never looked back. At 6'4 Diaz has a high jumping reach (16) and is physically imposing (strength 15), which ensures he is successful in the majority of his aerial duels (75%). This presence has led to him scoring three goals in 11 games (our highest scoring central defender), lets hope he continues to impress across 2025/26. THE SQUAD PROFILE The usual visualisation showing the spread of minutes played vs age for the 2024/25 season. This time I have tweaked the squad profile, making some improvements to the visualisation, including the 'Peak' band which easily highlights the bulk of my squad are in the peak stage of their career. The segments either side are youth, and experienced, whilst on the topi of youth, I have changed the colour of players which have stemmed from the Académie. I am extremely hopeful, that as we progress through another season there will be a few more Académie players included in this visual, ideally with the yellow dots becoming the minority. In 2024/25 it is pleasing to see that both Bastien Meupiyou and Nathan Zeze have progressed from their breakthrough season, firmly establishing themselves as first team regulars, both securing over the average minutes for the campaign. The above is the Nantes All Time XI, wouldn't it be impressive if I can populate this fully with Académie players. Now that would be something, although given where we are in the game cycle, I think it would be some kind of miracle. FORWARD LOOK First starting point, the transfer market, you will see that we moved on seven players from the club, all securing transfer fees below £10 million, the clubs record fee received £12.8 million for Diego Carlos, is safe for now. Samuel Moutoussamy's deal to Ipswich for £8.5 million was the most significant, despite Samuel playing less than average minutes, he was the club vice-captain, and an influence off the park. Secondly, with FC Copenhagen securing the services of our back-up goal keeper, there was a need to delve into the transfer market again. PLAYERS IN Owusu-Oduro was signed from AZ for a package deal totalling £9 million (£4.5 million upfront and the rest in two instalments over the year). The 21 year old was happy to sign, knowing he will play back-up to Lafont, he is capped by the Dutch national side (2) and could develop nicely into a Ligue 1 standard player. The second signing is that of Ryan Francisco (£3.7 million) who was identified by our scout in Brazil, the 18 year old has a bucket load of strengths, which he demonstrated for Sao Paulo's youth side, scoring 38 goals in 47 appearances. Ryan will play his first campaign with the reserves, we will use this to establish his pathway compared to others at this level. The above provides you a flavour of what is potentially to come, first choice players, their back-up/rotation, along with the best youth player available in third place. Another affiliate has been added to our ranks, this time Bastia, who find themselves in the National league. This provides us with another outlet to send promising youth to gain experience a league above our reserves side, whilst the previous arrangement with Grenoble, enables us to send players to the second tier, ideally their final stage of development, prior to being involved with the first team. @_Ben_ asked what my short, and long-term aims were for the save, I have previously covered what I want to achieve in the long-term in my review of season one, with three key objectives. Become the leading French Académie Given such an emphasis on the development of youth, it I want Nantes to become the leading pipeline for French talent. Now within this aim there are two foci, the first being that I would love to play a Ligue 1 game with a starting XI which have been harvested from the Académie. Secondly, it want my youth side to become the dominant force in youth football, not only in France, but on the continent. We want to become multiple UEFA Youth League Champions, winning the domestic title is simply not enough ( a feat we have achieved in both seasons). The above result was from the 2024/25 UEFA Youth League Semi-Final, we were in touching distance of the Final. Bayern ran out eventual winners, defeating FK Crvena zvezda Beograd Under 19s 1-0 in the Final. *note to self send scouts to Serbia Improve 'the League of Talents' coefficient After last seasons drop in coefficients, France have moved themselves back into fifth place, picking up a total of 16.857 points (4th). We managed to fly the flag for France after our successful run in the Champions League, whilst Lens progressed all the way to the Semi-Final of the UEFA Europa League, suffering to a defat to Bayer Leverkusen. This progress will provide French sides with a additional place in the UEFA Champions League from 2026/27. Recruit talent from Africa As previously covered, as we are drawing down more revenue, and in turn profit. We can look to expand our scouting team, ensuring we have extensive experience from different continents. Currently we have 12 scouts out on assignments, two of which are on set to Africa. Unfortunately, the early signs haven't been too promising with the recruitment focuses providing minimal returns. Therefore, I will next manually set scouts to view players from some of the key nations U20, and U19 teams. Au revoir!

Worrying signs regarding the declining xG, have you tried simply tinkering with the mentality instead of making an overhaul to your system? Some shrewd business in the market Sørli is also the stand out for me, always nice to pinch someone from your rivals!

I have been a little busier than usual with regards to both work and family life, therefore todays update is a little more shorthand, bringing you up to speed with the goings on in Nantes. The last two months (in game) have been full of both highs (victory over Borussia Dortmund in the UCL, and drawing against PSG in Ligue 1), and lows (largest defeat in Ligue 1 vs Marseille 0-3, and our UEFA Champions League exit in the round of 16 to Milan). We closed off the month with a Coupe de France Quarter Final victory over Lille, with Mostafa Mohamed again ending a large run of games without scoring, a trend which we have now become well accustomed to. The Egyptian has now scored 19 times this campaign, albeit his ten in Ligue 1 is half his 20 from last campaign. Taking a closer look at the leagues form table, should we be a little concerned? OGC Nice could well be in with a shout for securing the Ligue 1 title, Francesco Farioli's side are on a 23 game unbeaten streak, with this sort of form they should continue to push PSG very, very close. Whilst both Marseille, and Monaco both are impressing, which could well see us close the campaign in fifth place, our form away from home, not quite matching our performances at Stade de la Beaujoire. YOUTH INTAKE Angelo Carbone may well have been in post for less than a year. However, the Nantes Head of Youth Development has delivered, with four players in the elite category. JULIEN MALANDAIN The first of the bunch is Julien, who is a highly determined individual who possesses great handling, reflexes, and agility. Some core attributes already ticked off for him becoming a future number 1 at the club. XAVIER CLAVAUD Xavier has a strong physical profile for his age, yet despite having excellent technique, and flair, he technically doesn't appear to offer too much at this early stage. After studying his profile, I think the best option is to initially consider Xavier as an inside forward, utilising his speed off the mark, agility, and technical skills. PAPE SECK It isn't very often when your youth intake includes a 15 year old, who holds a two star current ability, let alone three attributes which are 16 or above. Pape Seck is that guy, with elite flair, he is a footballing magician, who is technically adept, good at finishing chances, and can accurately pick out teammates when on the ball. The fact that Pape is Nantes, born and bred, really excites me! He could well become the future of the club! ALBAN MIRANDE Unlike Xavier, Albine holds a more well rounded profile, he is an accurate passer of the ball, who is technically adept. His mixture of bravery, teamwork, and natural fitness, could see him deployed as an advanced playmaker due to him not being strong enough, or mentally astute with regards to his positioning. RECRUITMENT Looking at the above minutes played to-date, it is clear to see that we don't have a rotation option available for Nicolas Cozza, the 26 year old has played 22% more minutes than second place Alban Lafont. Considering he has played nearly every game this season, his outputs are still impressive, with Nicolas producing a high number of key passes per 90, creating a high number of open play expected assists. His numbers have dropped off a little compared to last season, particularly dribbles which have decreased from 3.22 to 2.91, most likely due to not having the energy reserves, opting to progress the ball by the pass. His average rating has also dropped a little from 7.21 to 7.12. The above highlighted the need to recruit, when searching for wing-backs there really is only one true starting point, Brazil. The country has a rich history in producing top class defenders, including the likes of Marcelo, Dani Alves, Roberto Carlos, and Cafu. My scouting team, well Pedro Alves brought a 22 year old from Palmeiras to my attention. Vanderlan is capped at U23 level, and his top speed enabled him to outpace players, he is a consistent performer, with the love of big matches. He already has traits of hugging the touchline, and tries long range passes, you'd have to agree, he has potential. I am hopeful that the deal for the Brazilian will potentially be the last one we have to make at the club for a while, as we now have significant depth, with a good spread of players in the youth sides which are capable of helping out if needed. INFRASTRUCTURE There have also been some more positive changes in relation to the infrastructure, the board agreeing to invest heavily in the improvement of youth facilities. Most importantly, a deal has been arranged with Grenoble in Ligue 2, they will become our new affiliate club, and will absolutely be utilised next season with regards to providing our young talent a platform to showcase their ability in the second tier of the French pyramid. FORWARD LOOK With only Ligue 1 to focus on, each and every point will be hard-fought from here on in, to secure passage to the UEFA Champions League again would be immense, and help to ensure we can continue to secure the talent we have at the club, through offering improved contracts. I leave you today with the below, just a flavour of things to come here in Nantes. FYI this was from an U19 game. However, it's not very often you see three perfect scores handed out!

@Jogo Bonito thanks for taking the time to comment, I would have to agree that Nantes are such a great fit for my preferred style of playing FM. I'm not sure if you'd have noticed, but they released their kit for 2024/25 the other day, it is a simple yet effective replication of an older styled kit. If you want to look at some of the finer detailing on the kit, go and check out their IG site.

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.

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.

Fair play mate with regards to going hands off with regards to the recruitment process. Not quite sure I could go down that route as I like control. I really like the visual highlighting how you play in the progressive phase, the central overloads will no doubt place your opponents under significant pressure, and the movement between the lines again providing headaches. How do the team manage with transitions down the flank, do you have them pressing intensely?

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.

Anyone else loving the new format. 😍

Genuinely surprised by the talent on display, maybe I am being obnoxious to think Canadian football would be more inferior. Heath is an absolute baller, to have those attributes at 19 goes a long way to highlight the fact that the well rounded youngster, could easily become a phenomenon. You must be buzzing to get him involved post injury. Will you be looking to schedule in a few friendlies to play that big gap between fixtures.

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.