How Saïd Chabane and Laurent Boissier run Angers the old-fashioned way | OneFootball

Angers are run on old-school lines by owner Saïd Chabane and sporting director Laurent Boissier, and they visit Lorient on Sunday at 17:15 in Ligue 1’s 22nd round.

According to L'Équipe, Boissier, 54, often watches Ligue 2 on Fridays and studies squads across leagues, work that helped land the surprise winter loan of Branco Van den Boomen from Ajax. He favours a lean set-up, with decisions made by Chabane, head coach Alexandre Dujeux and himself, and says sporting calls can err, but character and finances cannot.

His approach can grate with some supporters after relegation in 2023, yet results have picked up since and Angers have turned healthy profits on sales.

Angers follow an old-school model without multi-ownership, investment funds or heavy data. Boissier reports directly to Chabane late each week, while general manager Jérôme Negroni handles finance and administration. The budget is built around 15th place, with the wage bill down from 24 million to eight million euros since 2022 and the overall budget from 40 to 25-30 million euros.

Chabane is cautious. There was only one delayed salary, last season, quickly resolved, and the club are again within DNCG rules. He is demanding internally yet loyal, and has had only four coaches in 15 years.

In the market, some agents view Angers’ asking prices as high, which can cause friction. Outcomes vary, with Sidiki Chérif, Jean-Mattéo Bahoya and Estéban Lepaul among the successes, and Fofana a flop. After promotion and then survival, Angers are 10th, and a win at Lorient could even spark European thoughts.

Source: L'Équipe