As a reminder, the right-back had been excluded from the Nantes squad following comments judged as unacceptable towards his ex-manager Pierre Aristouy, though he recently reintegrated the team and played in three of the last four matches under Jocelyn Gourvennec. The 27-year-old joined Les Canaris back in the summer of 2022, quickly becoming a starter for the team.

Lorient are currently 17th in the league and are by far the worst defence in the league with 35 goals conceded, eight more than the second worst defences Olympique Lyonnais and FC Metz, and are therefore in drastic need of defensive reinforcements if they are to hope to stay up in Ligue 1 by the end of the season.

Centonze is reportedly estimated to be worth €6 million by Franck Kita, a fee far too high for Lorient, though Nantes could be less demanding to let go of their player by the end of the transfer window.

GFFN | Alfred Lalande

The Moroccan international would make his return to the top flight of French football since leaving FC Nantes to join then-Premier League side Watford in 2021, in a deal worth €10 million. Louza went on to make 60 appearances for the first team, having notably struggled with a knee injury in 2022, though his team didn’t succeed in remaining in the first division.

The 24-year-old is an aggressive ball carrier, always looking to push forward when he receives the ball, breaking into the final third by combining technical excellence and power. He would join a struggling Lorient team, currently sat 17th in the league, and look to use his chance-creating abilities in order to carry Les Merlus out of the relegation zone by the end of the season.

GFFN | Alfred Lalande

Despite scoring on the opening day of the Championship season, game time has been at a premium for Moroccan international midfielder Louza in recent weeks. He has started just one of the club’s last 16 games, featuring only four times in that period, and missing out on the matchday squad entirely on four occasions. However, he did make a cameo appearance against Plymouth on New Year’s Day, in what was his first game for the club since the end of November. 

As previously reported by Foot Mercato, Metz are interested in bringing former FC Nantes midfielder Louza back to Ligue 1. However, they could now face competition from Lorient, who have already held discussions with the player. Louza is sold on the move and it is now up to the clubs to reach an agreement. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Ouest-France understand that Amian has agreed to make his return in Ligue 1. The outlet adds that Nantes and Spezia are yet to find an agreement over a loan move with an option to buy. Meanwhile, Foot Mercato adds that Serie A clubs Genoa and Bologna are also keeping a close eye on Amian.

Centonze and Pierre-Gabriel set to leave FC Nantes

Amian’s arrival at La Beaujoire may trigger the departures of several Nantes defenders, namely right-backs Fabien Centonze and Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel. Ouest-France understands that Nantes won’t get in the way of Centonze and Pierre-Gabriel should an offer were to arrive for the two players. Ouest-France and L’Equipe report that the former Metz defender is courted by relegation-battlers FC Lorient.

Centonze has fallen out with former Nantes manager Pierre Aristouy and his game time did not improve under current boss Jocelyn Gourvennec. The same can be said for Pierre-Gabriel, whose move as a free agent is set to last only a mere months in Nantes.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Les Rouges et Noirs completed the signing of the Moroccan in January 2023. The Breton club completed a deal to sign the forward for €6.5m from KAA Gent on deadline day of last season’s winter window. Salah hasn’t been a regular for Rennes since completing his move just under a year ago. The Morroco U23 international has made 30 appearances for the club but most of these have been substitute appearances. 

Diminishing attacking options

It remains to be seen whether newly-appointed Rennes boss Julien Stéphan will be willing to let the Moroccan attacker leave on loan this winter. The 22-year-old could be kept due to the diminishing options the former Strasbourg head coach has in attack. Amine Gouiri is facing a spell on the sidelines with injury so Salah may be relied upon and given an opportunity under Stéphan. 

GFFN | Liam Wraith

On a personal level, it has been another successful loan spell for Faivre, who already has five goals in Ligue 1 this season, however, collectively, Lorient have struggled. The club are currently in the relegation zone amidst rumours of discontent and the possible departure of manager Régis Le Bris. 

Bournemouth, who are keen to reinforce their midfield this January, have now tried to cut Faivre’s loan short. The Frenchman is not against the idea of a departure this winter. Faivre’s participation in this weekend’s Coupe de France fixture against Sochaux is now in doubt, according to Foot Mercato. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Arguably, November 8, 2022, marked one of the darkest days in Mvogo’s football career. On that day, Lorient faced Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade du Moustoir in the 14th game week of the season. Despite a promising beginning, with Mvogo making a splendid save against now-former PSG player Neymar, the dream start for the Swiss goalkeeper turned into a nightmare.

Eight minutes into the game, under pressure from Neymar, Mvogo failed to clear the ball, landing it directly at Hugo Ekitike’s feet. Ekitike then passed the ball to Neymar, who capitalised on the mistake with a low shot, scoring a goal. The 29-year-old goalkeeper acknowledged his error, recognizing that his mistake directly led to the conceded goal. Additionally, during this sequence, he managed to injure himself severely, leading to his substitution. Mvogo suffered a tendon injury in his knee, sidelining him for the next five months and causing him to miss the World Cup in Qatar.

Mvogo left exposed by leaky Lorient defence

Five months later, the Swiss keeper made a triumphant return against Toulouse. Coincidentally, the following week, Lorient faced PSG again at the Parc des Princes, and this time there were no injuries or errors on Mvogo’s part. Lorient secured a 3-1 victory on Parisian soil. Mvogo concluded the season with stellar performances as Les Merlus confirmed their place in Ligue 1 for the following season.

The current season has had a tumultuous start for Régis Le Bris’s men. Despite the positive signs displayed when he assumed the managerial role, Lorient finds itself stagnant in the lower half of the league. The team are struggling with one of the worst defensive records in the league, but not all blame falls on Mvogo. The Swiss keeper contends with a defence that allows many shots per game, making him frequently active in his goalkeeping duties. To highlight his importance to Lorient this season, he ranks among the best goalkeepers in the league based on post-expected goals, according to Opta.

It appears that Les Merlus will have to fight until the end to remain in Ligue 1 this season. If they manage to secure their position, there is no doubt that the Swiss goalkeeper will have made a significant contribution.

GFFN | Jerry Morel Takou

Cahuzac, who spent the 2022/23 season as Franck Haise’s assistant manager at RC Lens, Cahuzac was chosen to integrate Francesco Farioli’s backroom staff at Nice in the summer. However, there was considerable fan backlash to the move, dating back to a heated match between Nice and Bastia back in 2014, which led to a pitch invasion. The ultras stance on Cahuzac joining did not evolve, and ultimately, sporting director Florent Ghisolfi had to reverse his decision to bring the Frenchman to the Allianz Riviera. 

However, as revealed by Ouest-France, he is now set to become an assistant manager to Régis Le Bris at struggling Lorient. Cahuzac will join Les Merlus, who are currently in the Ligue 1 relegation zone, until the end of the season. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Le Bris won plaudits last season for the way his side performed in his debut season as a manager. However, this year has been a fundamentally different kettle of fish, the team have struggled to emulate their performances from the year before and sit within the relegation zone. 

The defeat to end the first half of the season to Brest was not taken well by all involved with the club. The supporters dumped 400kg of rotting fish outside the club’s training ground as the team coach arrived back from the game, while within the squad the reaction was equally tainted. 

L’Équipe reported that there were significant tensions within the dressing room following the match as Le Bris criticised four players for their apparent lack of humility: Benjamin Mendy (29), Jean-Victor Makengo (25), Isaak Touré (20), and Romain Faivre (25). 

Le Bris to remain as manager for now

There was an expectation with his tactics being questioned and his relationship with the squad deteriorating that it was no longer viable for Le Bris to continue managing at Les Merlus, especially since the winter break could provide an opportunity for the club to find an alternative option before returning to training. 

Despite this L’Équipe, now confirms that Le Bris will continue as manager for Lorient into the new year, with the head coach leading the training sessions on Friday morning, as the break instead allowed calmer heads to prevail. 

Le Bris’s future is far from secure, but he has at least for the moment been provided more time to turn the fortunes of the club around. In practical terms, this means that the manager, like in the summer, will have a significant say in the transfer market as Lorient prepare for a crucial second half of the season; which could in turn create an interesting dilemma if results do not pick up when the fixtures return.

GFFN | Nick Hartland