Joseph Oughourlian, the president and owner of Lens, recently provided an extensive interview to L’équipe, following Les Sang et Or’s impressive performance in Ligue 1. The 54-year-old businessman revealed that a prominent Premier League club reached out to discuss a takeover of the Artois club, similar to what BlueCo did with Chelsea regarding Strasbourg three years ago.
The draw of the Premier League has posed challenges for Lens, particularly when Crystal Palace targeted Pierre Sage as a replacement for their departing head coach, Oliver Glasner. Ultimately, the Eagles secured their choice, leading Lens to appoint Dino Toppmöller. In light of Sage’s swift departure after just one season with Les Sang et Or, Oughourlian expressed no bitterness.
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“I think he was similar to us, achieving his goals well ahead of schedule, and as a true competitor, he was eager to move on,” said the president of RC Lens. He acknowledged that due to the troubling circumstances facing French football clubs, excluding PSG, Lens may serve as a launchpad for talented coaches and players. “We’re larger than any single individual; we won’t vanish, just as we didn’t after Franck (club manager Franck Haise) left. I wish him success in the Premier League.”