Only penultimate in Ligue 1, AS Saint-Etienne is already in danger after five days. But the most worrying concerns the economic situation of the Saint-Etienne club, still in great difficulty according to its executive president Jean-François Soucasse.
While the most ambitious teams in Ligue 1 like Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille and OGC Nice reinforced their respective groups, AS Saint-Etienne was simply trying to limit the damage. Only the arrival on loan of Uruguayan striker Ignacio Ramirez was recorded at the very end of the summer transfer window, when no sale was made. One or more outings would however have relieved the finances of the Saint-Etienne club, readily admits Executive President Jean-François Soucasse, without hiding his concern for the coming months.
A wage bill that is still too high
” This season we still have a payroll that is inadequate with our income. Structurally, the club therefore still generates deficits, recently revealed the leader of AS Saint-Etienne. The operating deficit is still significant. The constraints we have for the next ten months are still very strong. But the club will be able to bring this season to a close. “In the red, AS Saint-Etienne, however, rejected proposals for important players this summer.
ASSE has privileged the sporting aspect
” If there had been opportunities for certain players in the interests of the club and the player, they would have been taken. They didn’t always show up, explained Jean-François Soucasse. We could have transferred major players from the club who were the subject of offers. The shareholders have made the ambitious choice to favor sports performance over the prospect of economic capital gains. “And for good reason, the owners Bernard Caïazzo and Roland Romeyer must keep a workforce competitive enough to stay in Ligue 1, and thus attract the long-awaited buyer.