EXCLUSIVE | Lorient’s Aiyegun Tosin: ‘Régis Le Bris is one of the best.’ | OneFootball

FC Lorient winger and Benin international Aiyegun Tosin arrived in Ligue 1 ahead of the 2023/24 season, joining FC Lorient from FC Zürich. In his first season in France, Les Merlus would be relegated down to the second tier, but would return at the first time of asking by winning Ligue 2. 

Lorient’s return to the top table has been far from straightforward. Victories over AS Monaco and rivals Stade Rennais, and a draw with Paris Saint-Germain, have been the high points, but heavy defeats, including against Lille OSC (7-1), left the club in the relegation playoff spot with the second-worst defensive record ahead of hosting Toulouse FC on Sunday afternoon. 

Tosin sat down with Get French Football News in an interview facilitated by the LFP Media’s international department to discuss Lorient’s form, his old manager now flying high in the Premier League, and Benin’s chances in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. 

There have been two sides to Lorient this season. We’ve seen the club that’s beaten AS Monaco and drew with Paris Saint-Germain, but we’ve also seen a more inconsistent side. Can you explain why consistency has been so hard to find?

The season is long and there are many teams. It’s not the same level. To play against Monaco and PSG, you have to prepare well. As everyone knows, we always prepare for every match. But when you want to play against PSG or Monaco, you have to put in like two times more effort, and that is what we did. 

What needs to happen for us to see this better version of Lorient more consistently?

It’s football, you know. Maybe now we have some problems, but it’s normal and it’s part of the game. And we keep going, we keep working, because as I said, the season is very long. And I believe in my teammates that we are going to come back. 

From the outside looking in, there looked like a real spirit of togetherness about last season’s Ligue 2-winning side. Has this mixed run of form to start the season impacted the dressing room?

No, no, we’ve still kept the good vibes in the dressing room. We still encourage each other every day, in the dressing room or in training. You know it’s Ligue 1, it’s very hard, but we still keep the good vibes and keep working hard. And everything will be good very soon. 

Can you describe the step up from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1?

We were one of the best teams. We kept the ball [well]. But it’s not the same level. In Ligue 1, you have to put in more effort, and yeah, I know it’s a little bit hard, and we’ve conceded a lot of goals, but it’s part of the game, like I said. We’ll still continue to work hard. 

You’ve already matched your goal-scoring tally for last season [3 goals] and done it at a higher level. Can you explain what’s changed?

I believe in myself. I keep working. It’s not the same level [as Ligue 2], I will continue working hard, like I always do in training. And I hope that in the next games I will still improve myself more. 

Casting your mind back to your first season in France, you joined Lorient under Régis Le Bris. What was it like working for him?

Le Bris is a very good coach. He gave me more confidence, and I tried to do everything he wanted. Le Bris is one of the best, one of the best. He wanted me to come to Lorient. So for me, he is still one of the best. I got injured in that season, but I’m a professional, I believed in myself, and I hope everything turns out like I want. 

Were you at all surprised by how well Le Bris is doing at Sunderland [4th in the Premier League at the time of speaking], or could you always see that happening?

Like I said, he’s one of the best coaches, and I’m very happy for him, and I hope that he will continue winning matches in the Premier League. 

When you joined Lorient, there were reports of a few other Ligue 1 clubs interested, like Montpellier and Nantes. What made you choose Lorient?

I chose Lorient because when I watched the team play, I felt like I could do better and improve myself more here. I hoped to have more playing time, and that’s why I came to Lorient. Also, because the management around Lorient felt like a family. So I decided to come here. 

I hear that a lot from fans and former players that Lorient is a family club. Could you explain that a bit more to me?

When I came here, they made me feel very happy, and when the player is happy, he’s ready to give everything. So for me, it was very important. 

Thinking about the game coming up on the weekend, what areas are you looking at to hurt Toulouse?

Like I said to you before, it’s Ligue 1 and all games are hard. It doesn’t matter if you are home or away. All games are hard, but yeah, we are FC Lorient, this is our home with our fans, and we have to push more and win this because it’s very important for us. 

There’s this expectation around Lorient that you’re a Ligue 1 team and that you should be in the top tier. Does the current situation [in the relegation play-off spot at the time of speaking] create pressure due to this expectation?

No, not, not at all. But we play as we know that we want to stay in Ligue 1, we know that it’s very hard, but we are just working hard every day in training, each player working hard. The season is very long, so we just hope that everything will be good. 

Just thinking about your international career. It was a bit of a heartbreak in the 2026 World Cup qualifying. Do you think that experience will fuel Benin in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations?

In the Benin national team, we have a lot of young players. And we just want to show everyone that, yeah, our country is small, but we have a lot of talented players, and I believe that we are going to do something in the Nations Cup. 

Can you see Benin winning it?

It’s football, you know, anything could happen. I don’t want to say something and for it to not happen, but I believe, and I’m always with the players, and the mentality is very good, and we train hard, and the group is very good. I believe, I just hope that we can do something.

GFFN | Nick Hartland