French Club Receive Bizarre Offer: Proposal to Become a Farm Team

The president of French club Lens, Joseph Oughourlian, has revealed that his team received an offer from an English club to become a farm team.

The English club's proposal sparked outrage from the French club's leadership, who consider this option completely unacceptable.

'This is absolutely unthinkable! Yes, we received such an offer, but I will never consider such a path. It goes against the DNA of our club.'

'No matter how long it takes for us to reach our full potential, we will never agree to such a thing. Maybe I'm missing something mentally, but personally, I think this is a very sad situation for our league.'

'We are France, a country that has reached the World Cup semifinals, a country that produces the most footballers in the world. We should be aiming higher than just becoming a 'B league' for the Premier League!'

As quoted by L'Equipe, Joseph Oughourlian expressed his strong disapproval of the proposal.

It's worth noting that in the 2025/2026 season, Lens won the French Cup and finished second in League 1.

French clubs have become a breeding ground for talent, supplying top European leagues with skilled players.

In particular, Abduqodir Husanov, a defender for the Uzbekistan national team, who is now recognized as one of the best defenders in the world, honed his skills in the French League 1.

Lens signed Abduqodir from Belarusian club Energetik-BGU in the summer of 2023. Husanov made his debut in the top European league with this team, played in the Champions League, and gained experience in real European football.

After playing for Lens for a year and a half and showcasing his potential, the Uzbek footballer was signed by Manchester City for 50 million euros on January 20, 2025.