Farewells in Ligue 1: Lacazette, Maxwell among those destined for departures
With the curtain falling on the Ligue 1 season, the weekend brought a number of "au revoir" moments to the surface.
Paris Saint-Germain will bid farewell to Maxwell, who is one of the most decorated players in the modern game after winning titles with Ajax, Inter Milan, Barcelona and PSG. The 35-year-old Brazilian could make it trophy No. 34 if, as expected, PSG beats Angers in the French Cup final next weekend.
Lyon is set to part ways with its star striker Alexandre Lacazette, who topped 100 goals for the club last week and is likely to move to Atletico Madrid, with the club's president confirming there is an agreement between the player and Spanish side and only a transfer fee needs to be agreed upon.
There was a less joyful goodbye for Christophe Galtier, the Saint-Etienne coach who leaves the club after seven-and-a-half seasons in charge. In the last two weeks, Saint-Etienne lost to PSG (5-0), Monaco (2-0) and Nancy (2-1) to slip to eighth and out of the European places. This was a huge disappointment after this season’s run to the last 32 in the Europa League. Galtier felt some of the players sabotaged his final weeks in charge.
“We were missing so many players, some had real injuries others were just on holiday,” Galtier said.
Watch: Amiens clinches promotion to Ligue 1 on last kick of the season
The coach accepted that some criticism for safety-first football were justified, although he said it was tough when at times, he was missing eight players through injury. Galtier’s finest moment was winning the League Cup in 2013.
“I couldn't believe Les Verts had never been to the Stade de France,” he told RMC. “As a kid, I knew what this club represented in France, so playing in a Cup final was simply a return from 30 years earlier.”
Galtier is in no rush for a new job and is open to working abroad. He would be an intriguing choice.
