Merci, Grégory: a look at Lorenzi's time at Brest

After ten years at the club, Grégory Lorenzi departs Stade Brestois, but not without having played an integral role in the club's meteoric rise.

From Ligue 2 to the Champions League

The scenes at the Stade Francis Le Blé on Sunday showed how highly Lorenzi is regarded by everyone at Brest. He walked out to a guard of honour, applauded by staff, players, and the fans in the stands. Made an honorary citizen of the town of Brest, he was then launched into the air. This is not the sort of tribute paid to sporting directors.

And indeed, how much Lorenzi, Corsican by birth, has taken to Brest, describing himself as an "adopted Brestois". He will leave the club this summer after 10 years at the club. Speaking to L'Équipe recently, he spoke of a "mission accomplished".

He was just 32 when he took on the role, back in 2016. He got the club promoted back to Ligue 1 McDonald's back in 2019. Operating with one of the smallest budgets, he then led Brest to the improbable.

It’s Champions League debut day for Brest ❤️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/HJJp0IGtAb
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) September 19, 2024

In 2024, Eric Roy helped lead Les Ty-Zéfs to a third-place finish. It was their highest-ever finish in Ligue 1 McDonald's. Not only did it see the club qualify for European competition for the first time, but it also saw them enter the continent's premier competition, the Champions League.

Roy, naturally, gained huge plaudits for his work, but it is also Lorenzi who hired him, despite many having misgivings regarding his choice of manager. "Lots of people were very critical of my choice," he told The Guardian back in the 2023/24 season. Roy, at the time of arriving at Brest, had not managed since 2011. Quite the risk, but it paid off.

Lorenzi bucks the trend

It was also Lorenzi who gave Roy the means to deliver. Whilst Ligue 1 McDonald's is famed for its youth and development of players that go on to shine in leagues across Europe, Brest trended the other way; that was Lorenzi's vision. Still seeing the importance of youth, Lorenzi sought to strike a different balance, with many of the players affiliated with Brest's recent success in their prime years. Notably, you think of Pierre Lees-Melou, as well as Marco Bizot, Kenny Lala, or Brendan Chardonnet.

Brest, under the leadership of Lorenzi and Roy, have become perennial overachievers. It is something that Lorenzi sought to highlight recently. "People banalise the fact that Brest are still in Ligue 1 McDonald's," he said, citing the club's small budget, relative to competitors. He highlighted that Troyes, who are coming up from Ligue 2 BKT, notably have a larger budget.

At Brest, Lorenzi has done a lot with very little. He has taken Brest from the second division to the bright lights of the UCL, to games against the likes of Real Madrid. That is his legacy as he moves on to pastures new.

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