Flat market

Nothing much has changed at the Stade Velodrome during the summer break, good news for the club after coach Didier Deschamps extended his contract until June 2012 after refusing an offer from Liverpool. He has so far managed to keep striker Mamadou Niang, top-scorer in Ligue 1 last season with 18 goals, playmaker Lucho Gonzalez and Souleymanne Diawara, the anchorman of the defence. Deschamps has been quoted as saying he wants to sign a top class striker and a defensive midfielder but has been hampered by a lack of buying power.

With a budget of 105 million euros, Marseille cannot compete for the world’s best talent, unlike European powerhouses Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona or Chelsea. Olympique Lyon, the most powerful French club of the decade, boast a 150 million euro budget but chairman Jean-Michel Aulas said he only had 25 million to spend and the only recruit so far has been Stade Rennes striker Jimmy Briand for 6 million euros.

Lyon, second last season after a strong finish, are hopeful of regaining a title they won seven times in a row before Girondins Bordeaux ended that run in 2008-09. “We are going to build a team strong enough to win back the title but because of the economic crisis we must be careful,” Aulas told reporters. Lyon are at home to Monaco on Saturday. Bordeaux, away at Montpellier on Sunday, will begin life under Jean Tigana who has taken over from new France coach Laurent Blanc. A poor second half of the season cost Bordeaux a European place and they must now do without key striker Marouane Chamakh who has joined Arsenal.