The message got through. Two days after the qualification of LOSC for the group stage of the Europa League Conference, acquired in pain on the lawn of Rijeka, Paulo Fonseca took stock of the transfer window of his club. For a few hours, the transfer market has been closed in France, the opportunity for the Portuguese coach to sound the alarm.
“I am really disappointed, launched the technician of the Mastiffs in a press conference on the eve of the reception of Montpellier (Sunday 3 p.m.). We are perhaps the only team in Ligue 1 and perhaps the only team in the European Cup with just one striker. It’s difficult. Jonathan covered 17 km in the last match (against Rijeka, editor’s note). It’s difficult to have him in the same conditions for the match tomorrow. We have to be realistic and I have to speak with honesty. We don’t have the capacity to beat the other teams, to have the same objectives as them. I don’t want to talk about Monaco, Rennes, Marseille… But the other teams… Reims spent 50-60 million. Strasbourg has different investments from ours… It’s difficult to fight against Monaco but also against these teams. I understand that the club has limits but we have to be realistic. We don’t have the same conditions as the other clubs. I believe a lot in the players we have. We must do everything to do to have a good season but the conditions for winning are different.
“It’s not easy to find a striker,” admitted the former AS Roma coach who also assured that he had discussed with its president Olivier Létang. “But we had four months to try to find him,” he concluded. LOSC is still looking for a free striker on the market to relieve Jonathan David, and satisfy Fonseca who does not hesitate to reprimand his management.