Coordinating Success: Decoding Lille’s integrated approach to football management – data analysis

Having just booked their place in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals, where they’ll face a tough test versus in-form EPL side Aston Villa, Lille will be on something of a high entering their Ligue 1 clash with high-flying Brest this weekend.

The only side other than PSG to win any of the last six French top-flight titles, Lille have been one of France’s most successful sides over the past half-decade or so, winning one league title in that time and finishing in the top half of the league each season.

During this period, Lille have undergone significant changes at boardroom level, with President Gérard López leaving the club in December 2020, midway through their title-winning campaign, as Lille were sold to Luxembourg-based investment fund Merlyn Partners SCSP at a time when they were riddled with financial debt, amplified massively by the catastrophic collapse of Ligue 1 television deal with Mediapro.

The fact Lille went on to win Ligue 1 that season is a credit to Christophe Galtier, Lille’s technical department and backroom staff, along with, of course, the players in that squad who managed to block out the noise surrounding the club and persevere with their jobs on the pitch to give the fans a memorable victory.

However, Lille’s overall landing following the crash that was the collapse of Ligue 1’s multi-million euro TV deal back in 2021 is a greater credit to the intelligent way in which the club has been led through the storm.

This team analysis piece will include aspects of data analysis, tactical analysis, and snippets from interviews with key figures inside the club applied to the context of what they have actually done over the last few years to paint a picture of how and why Lille are being run in such an admirable way, with effective communication and harmony across all facets of the club at the core of its success.

Recruitment and player sales

To start with, we’re going to focus on Lille’s transfer business in recent years and the role it’s played in both the club’s financial recovery and their success on the pitch.

Ex-player Franck Béria has been Lille’s ‘Director of Professional Football’ since 2017, and he worked closely with Luís Campos in the role of Sporting Director from 2017 to 2020 when the renowned Portuguese transfer maestro departed along with López when Les Dogues were sold to Merlyn Partners SCSP.

The departure of Campos, currently PSG’s strategic advisor who’s really become a highly valued name in world football since playing a vital role in Monaco’s success in the mid-2010s — including a Ligue 1 title — was seen as a big blow for Lille.

However, he was replaced in some capacity alongside Béria by Sylvain Armand, who became the Hauts-de-France club’s ‘Sports Coordinator’ shortly after Campos’ departure, and with the exception of 2021/22, Les Dogues have thus far continued to hit their targets and remain the envy of many clubs in Europe’s top-five leagues with regard to the way in which they’ve been run, finding an equilibrium between financial stability and sustainability, and on-the-pitch success.

In an interview with Lille’s official website following his arrival in January 2021, Armand described his role as one that: “consists of being the link between the players, the coach and the president” — a facilitator of communication and synchronisation of sorts responsible for ensuring clarity and alignment between different departments at all times as well as overseeing the successful implementation of finer details in the day to day running of a club, with Armand giving the example of certain “pre-match protocols” he takes on.

Armand’s past as a player who lined up alongside the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thiago Silva will be valuable experience for him when it comes to communicating with and understanding the squad. The fact that he played under a wide range of managers, including Carlo Ancelotti, will give him some insight into the mindset and concerns of the coach—another vital aspect of his role, as detailed.

The ex-PSG, Rennes, Nantes and Clermont Foot full-back went on to get a General Manager diploma from CDES following the completion of his playing career which focused on “economic, legal and managerial issues encountered within professional clubs and dedicated bodies”, per the college website, adding more tools to Armand’s belt for this current role he occupies in relation to management — including both the skills of managing down and managing up — which will have come in absolutely crucial in all aspects of his job at Lille, including dealing with the President and shareholders interests.

A big concern for the new owners on arriving at Lille will have been getting them in a more financially stable position; their transfer dealings during this period have gone a long way to achieving that.

Over the last six seasons, including the current one, Lille have made a €307.55m profit on transfer fees—€131.6m of that has been made in the last three seasons since the club’s sale and the aforementioned backroom changes took place.

Lille have been the most profitable club in the world when it comes to non-academy players signed and transferred during the last decade, according to statistics from CIES Football Observatory — a stark contrast to Barcelona, who have made the most losses in that area during the same period.