ESTAC Troyes (L2) coach Laurent Batlles returned in an interview with 100% Ligue 1 about his retirement from ASSE.
“It was a dream end of career for me because I came out of a complicated season in Grenoble where we had lost a lot of games, it had been very complicated. And from there, I arrive in Saint-Etienne with Christophe who had known me in Bastia. When I got there I was 34 years old, almost 35 years old and people said to themselves “what is this old man doing here?”. In the end, this is where I still live, where my family still lives, and that’s where I met some lovely people. I melted completely into the functioning of the city, the club, the supporters, and in addition we had results quickly ”, said the technician from Troyes.
Before continuing: “I had arrived to try, with other players who had been captain in their club like Sylvain Marchal, Carlos Bocanegra or Albin Ebondo and others, to set up things to re-mobilize everyone, and that was good market. This stadium is fantastic, there are chills every time you go. Everything went really well, and because of that, I ended my career there and joined the club behind. It’s something strong. ”