Lorient are closer to the Champions League places than the relegation zone with four games to play.
They are looking up rather than down in what is their centenary year.
New Ownership’s Ambitions for Lorient
Bill Foley – who also owns Bournemouth – thinks he can do better than Olivier Pantaloni but he may prove mistaken.
Foley arrived with big ambitions, saying the takeover would make the club “more aggressive” in going after their goals. “The objective has always been European football,” he said. “I don’t know if that will be the Champions League. It is a very ambitious goal, but I don’t see any reason why we can’t be in the Europa League or the Europa Conference League. I’m not satisfied with playing a supporting role. My aspirations are high. We will play in Europe and we will make the necessary investment to make Lorient a serious actor in Ligue 1.”
Loïc Fery, who was the club’s majority shareholder until January, sold his shares to Black Knight Football Club (BKFC), which also owns Bournemouth in the Premier League as well as Auckland FC in New Zealand and Portuguese top-flight club Moreirense. Prior to becoming Lorient’s sole shareholder, BKFC already owned a 40% stake in the club. It was this investment that helped the Cherries to sign Eli Junior Kroupi, who has excelled in his first season in the Premier League.
On-Pitch Success and High Expectations
“Why can’t we beat everyone?” asked Lorient owner Bill Foley earlier this month. It’s not the kind of fighting talk you are accustomed to hearing from a newly promoted side but, given that they have already beaten Lens, Lyon, Monaco, Rennes, and now Marseille at home, it is justified.
Lorient toyed with Marseille during their 2-0 win on Saturday, eliciting “olés” from the crowd as they knocked the ball around. The fans at the Stade du Moustoir are used to being treated. Lorient have lost just twice at home in the last two seasons. Not even Paris Saint-Germain took all three points when they visited earlier in the campaign. Marseille’s sporting director, Medhi Benatia, launched into a tirade after the match, denouncing his players’ performances as a “scandal”, but he should have shown more respect for opponents who have defied the odds this season.
Sustainability Concerns and Fan Sentiment
It is why Féry, who remains club president, and sporting director Laurent Koscielny repeatedly speak of “sustainability”; Féry added that BKFC’s evolution in becoming the sole owner of the club would be the guarantor of that. Féry’s decision to sell his share to Foley and BKFC was not unanimously popular with Lorient fans. A small “Foley out” banner is hung in the stands. In a country as culturally diverse as France, regional identities become intertwined with their clubs, causing friction when they become enveloped in a m
Talk is cheap. When Ineos bought Nice in 2019, Jim Ratcliffe said the club would soon be challenging PSG. They haven’t got close and are in serious danger of being relegated this season. It is a cautionary tale for Lorient.