Will Still is thriving at Lens even though they keep selling players | Ligue 1

Will Still defied expectations in the summer when he remained in France rather than taking a job in England. “Everyone was sending me there, but in my head nothing was decided,” he told L’Équipe in September. By taking the reins at Lens, a club ​he called “the most English of the French clubs”, the former Reims manager nonetheless took a forward step in his fledgling career. It has not been easy, as the case of defender Abdukodir Khusanov attests.​ ​T​he centre-back​ has been outstanding for Lens this season but, if he completes a €40m move to Manchester City this week, Still will have to rejig his team once more.

There wasn’t just a change of manager at the Stade Bollaert over the summer; there was a revolution ​a​t the club. Out went CEO, Arnaud Pouille,​ and in came Pierre Dréossi​, with a new austere strategy​. Diego López was promoted internally to the role of sporting director, with president, Joseph Oughourlian, ​saying he regretted the​ club’s “lack of intelligence in sporting decisions” over the past year.

​It had been a spectacular year for fans: Lens played in the Champions League after an outstanding second-place finish in the 2022-23 campaign under Franck Haise.​ But the purse strings at the club have been pulled tighter and tighter.​ Haise left for Monaco in the summer and some of the best players in the team he built have also departed. Seko Fofana and Loïs Openda left for a combined €65m. Lens did not break the bank to replace them​, sign​ing Elye Wahi for €30m – a sum the club’s president has since called “excessive” and one he “regretted”. The France youth international did not settle in Lens and ​was moved on to Marseille in the summer.

Lens recouped most of the €30m they spent on Wahi, but more sales were needed. A target of €111m in player sales was set, a figure​ the club came nowhere near meeting, especially after Roma pulled out of a deal for Kevin Danso, citing a cardiac anomaly in his medical.

The new austere regime calls into question the ​club’s sporting ambition. The aim is still “to be in Europe every season” but​, having spent just €14m on incomings, this season’s Europa Conference League campaign was cut short at the qualification round. López said “sporting ambition” was one of the “three pillars” of the new Lens project, but another “pillar” called “economic rigour” took precedence; a certain mutual exclusivity was exposed.

Wahi​’s story embodies the new direction. He scored nine goals in 27 games in his only season at Lens so wasn’t a big loss on the face of it. However, Lens opted for a low-cost, low-output replacement in former Brest forward Martín Satriano, who immediately suffered an ACL injury. It was a cruel blow not helped by the club’s reticence to go back into the market. Their other back-up, Rémy Labeau Lascary also suffered a season-ending ACL injury in December.

Despite this challenging context, Still is thriving​ in his first season at the club. Goals, as you would imagine, have been hard to come by; only six teams have scored fewer in Ligue 1 this season. But the team is excelling at the back. Only PSG have a better defensive record than Lens, who are conceding less than a goal per game in Ligue 1.

Their excellence in defence is particularly impressive given that Danso only returned to action in October following precautionary cardiac tests. Facundo Medina has taken last season’s form into the current campaign and has been rewarded with a place in the Argentina setup. But the athletic Khusanov has been the standout performer in a well-drilled defence.

“It amazed me to see his strength, his physical shape,” said Still of the Uzbekistan international. ​The goalkeeper Brice Samba, who has left Lens for Rennes in the January transfer window, called Khusanov a “monster”. By the end of the window, Still will have to cope without both players. Manchester City have agreed to pay €​40m for the 20-year-old defender, who cost Lens just €100,000 when he arrived from the Belarusian top flight 18 months ago.

Lens were desperate to cash in on the centre-back this month, which shows just how difficult Still’s job is. He is expected to keep the team competitive while their assets are stripped. Off-field decisions have on-field impacts and that was almost laid bare against Le Havre on Sunday, and would have been but for Still’s late tactical intervention.

Hervé Koffi​ has been deputising in goal while the club find a replacement for Samba. ​They thought they had signed Pau López, ​who is on loan at Girona from Marseille, but the deal was cancelled (after he had posed in their shirt) when the La Liga side refused to let him leave until the end of the month. Unwilling to wait, Lens ​called off the transfer entirely.

It was Koffi’s weak parry that allowed André Ayew to head in on the line as Ligue 1’s lowest scorers took an unlikely lead. Lens equalised thanks to Goduine Koyalipou, the budget striker they signed for €2m from CSKA Sofia in midweek. Lens dominated the game, taking 25 shots, but they struggled to ​f​ind a winner – until Still revert​ed to a back three late on. Seconds after the change of shape, Przemyslaw Frankowski, freshly converted to wing-back, found the wing-back on the opposite flank, Deiver Machado, who stole in at the back post to head home and give Lens a 2-1 win that lifts them to within one point of sixth-placed Lyon.

“I’d be delighted to sign two €25-30m players,” said Still earlier this season but he is excelling with what he’s got. As his squad gets picked apart, the English​man has picked up where the legendary Haise left off, ensuring that, in spite of the newly instilled austere regime, Lens can muster a European challenge.

Talking points

“If I’m the problem, I’m ready to leave,” said Roberto De Zerbi after Marseille’s shock 3-1 home defeat to Auxerre at the start of November. This offer now feels like a lifetime ago. Marseille have not lost since, winning six of their seven games. Their latest victory came against Rennes, who are led by Jorge Sampaoli but lack the fire associated with his teams. Despite significant investment this month, with Seko Fofana and Brice Samba already arriving for a combined €35m, Rennes are on course to once again fall short of their objective of securing European football. The same does not go for Marseille, who look comfortable in second place thanks to a 2-1 win in Brittany, secured thanks to goals from Mason Greenwood and Adrien Rabiot – and a brilliant performance by goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. The Argentinian made a big penalty save when the game was goalless, meaning he has now saved all three of the penalties he has faced this season. He may not be the biggest name to arrive at the Vélodrome this season, however, he is arguably having the biggest impact.

The clubs challenging Marseille for second once again dropped points. Monaco could only draw 2-2 with Nantes and are now without a win in three league games. They had to fight from two goals down to secure a point at the Beaujoire, with Lamine Camara criticising the team’s lack of “desire” in the first half. Lille are unbeaten in 13 league games – a run that dates back to September – but they have drawn too many matches. Their latest, 0-0 against 10-man Auxerre on Friday, was their fourth draw in five. With Lyon losing to Brest, and Nice beating Reims 4-2, the fight for the final two Champions League places is shaping up to be an entertaining one.

Ligue 1 table