Angers’ sports director has revealed surprising details about the Ligue 1 team’s player recruitment strategy during an interview with RMC Sport.
Despite being promoted from Ligue 2, Angers haven’t spent any money on player transfers this season, relying only on free signings and loans. Jim Allevinah, Jean-Eudes Aholou, and Haris Belkebla were among the players who joined Les Scoïstes for free in the summer, while Bamba Dieng arrived on loan from FC Lorient, who were relegated to Ligue 2 this season.
It’s known that Angers has limited funds, even after selling Yan Valery to Sheffield Wednesday for nearly €500,000. However, the extent of their scaled-back recruitment team is still surprising. Speaking at the end of the winter transfer window, where the club made no new signings, Angers’ sporting director, Laurent Boissier, told RMC Sport that he is the sole individual in their recruitment department.
Boissier stated: “I am completely alone! We lack a recruitment team, data analysis, and scouts. I handle recruitment alone, with support from the president and the coach, Alexandre Dujeux, and his staff. I worked similarly at Nîmes for five years. It’s the same at Angers. However, I don’t make decisions independently. Final decisions are approved by three people: the owner, the manager, and myself.”