‘We messed up in January’ – Gary O’Neil hits out at Strasbourg’s transfer dealings | OneFootball

The wheels have come off at RC Strasbourg Alsace. Gary O’Neil accepted the risk of placing the club’s hopes of a European qualification in the cup competitions, but it hasn’t paid off. After defeat to OGC Nice in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France, Le Racing were knocked out of the UEFA Europa Conference League at the hands of Rayo Vallecano in midweek. It is the Spanish side that will face Crystal Palace in the final later this month.

There was, however, still a small chance of Strasbourg catching AS Monaco in seventh. O’Neil’s side face the Principality club on the final day of the season, next Sunday, and a win over SCO Angers last night would have given them a chance of catching the Principality club. A seventh-place finish will be enough to qualify for the Europa Conference League in the event that RC Lens beat Nice in the Coupe de France final.

However, Strasbourg drew against Le SCO (1-1). It is now mathematically impossible for them to qualify for Europe for next season. Post-match, O’Neil didn’t hold back in his criticism, firstly of his players and then the club’s January transfer dealings. 

“I am angry; I hope that the players are, too. There are two matches left and they have to show me that they have to level to play with us next season. But we won’t get anywhere playing like that. They really disappointed me, even more so than on Thursday (and the defeat to Rayo Vallecano). They have to do better. The world of football is full of sharks. They need to know that. I told them that we were playing a final and they didn’t play like they had to,” said the former Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers manager. 

He continued, “We have to really work a lot this summer to be better. We have already held meetings about recruitment. I need two centre-forwards. The owners want to give me the means to perform next season, but we have to improve the culture around the club, the quality of the players, and the depth of the squad. We messed up in the January transfer window. We weakened instead of improving the squad.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle