Olivier Cloarec hails Toulouse’s record window and says ambition drove strategy | OneFootball

President Olivier Cloarec said he was broadly satisfied after a turbulent summer of major sales and targeted reinvestment. According to L'Équipe, Toulouse rebuilt with eight arrivals and 17 departures, including five loans.

Sales topped €80m, which he framed as the priority amid domestic financial strain, and he said returns exceeded expectations. He described it as a record window and believed only Paris, Lille and Strasbourg sold more.

Dayann Methalie joined Sunderland and Emersonn moved to Ipswich Town, both for €28m plus bonuses, while Charlie Cresswell left for Rennes on a paid loan with an obligation to buy. Last year’s sale of Jaydee Canvot to Crystal Palace helps make four of the club’s five biggest deals.

Cloarec stressed the focus was not solely on exits, saying around €22m was invested across eight recruits and highlighting the arrival of head coach Jens Berthel Askou. He said the club had changed dimension and that progress depends on performances.

He cited keeping Cristian Casseres, extended to 2028, and the retention of Guillaume Restes and Aron Dönnum. A first transaction with AC Milan brought in defender David Odogu on loan, with relations described as excellent but opportunistic rather than systematic. Yann Gboho’s €12m move to Coventry, completed after the deadline with FIFA approval, underlined a plan mixing youth and experience, from free signing Ismaïl Diallo to Thomas Jörgensen for the largest fee since RedBird became shareholder.

Source: L'Équipe

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