26/27 Preview #1: AJ Auxerre
Last season
Auxerre's second season back in Ligue 1 McDonald's proved considerably more difficult than their first.
Having finished 11th following promotion in 2024/25, AJA spent much of last season battling at the other end of the table. Their fight for survival went all the way to the final weekend, with Christophe Pélissier's side travelling to Lille knowing their top-flight status remained at stake.
They delivered when it mattered. Lassine Sinayoko scored twice as Auxerre earned an impressive 2-0 victory at the Decathlon Arena, securing 15th place and another season in Ligue 1 McDonald's. Pélissier described the achievement as a "véritable exploit" afterwards.
It proved to be his final game in charge. After almost four years at the helm, which included promotion back to Ligue 1 and two successive seasons of survival, Pélissier departed at the end of the campaign.
The coach: Will Still
A familiar face is back in Ligue 1 McDonald's. After previous spells with Stade de Reims and RC Lens, Will Still returned to France this summer to take charge of Auxerre. The 33-year-old has signed a two-year contract, with the option of a further season, following a short spell in England with Southampton.
Still made his name in France with energetic teams built around intensity, pressing and a willingness to play on the front foot. His arrival therefore represents a change after almost four years under Pélissier, whose pragmatism played an important role in establishing AJA back in the top flight.
The new coach has not been shy about his ambitions either.
"There are no limits to our ambitions, except perhaps financially at some point," Still told Ligue1.com following his arrival. There is plenty changing around him. Auxerre have refreshed their squad, while work continues to expand and modernise the Stade Abbé-Deschamps. After spending last season fighting to remain in Ligue 1, Still has been entrusted with taking the club forward.
Key arrivals
Auxerre have been busy this summer, investing around €16 million in a new-look squad. One of the most important pieces of business was making Danny Namaso's move from FC Porto permanent. The Cameroon international scored three goals in 30 Ligue 1 appearances while on loan last season and is now tied to AJA until 2029.
Arthur Piedfort has joined from Westerlo after an impressive season in Belgium, while 22-year-old Congo international Christ Makosso has arrived from Luton Town to reinforce the defence. Sékou Fofana has also joined from Lausanne-Sport. There has been significant change between the posts. Mamadou Diop has signed from Grenoble and is expected to begin the campaign as number one, while experienced former Lorient goalkeeper Paul Nardi provides competition.
Romain Faivre will also remain at the Abbé-Deschamps for another season, while RC Lens forward Rémy Labeau-Lascary has arrived on loan with an option to buy.
Key departures
The biggest loss is undoubtedly Lassine Sinayoko. The Mali international was crucial to Auxerre's survival last season, scoring 12 Ligue 1 goals, including six across the final seven matches. His final contribution was particularly memorable, with his brace at Lille ensuring AJA remained in the top flight. He has since joined Paris FC in an €8 million deal.
There has also been an emotional goodbye to Donovan Léon. Apart from five seasons at Brest earlier in his career, the goalkeeper had spent his entire senior career with Auxerre. He has now moved to Saudi Arabia to join Abha Club. Gideon Mensah has left for Köln, while Paul Joly's move to Kaiserslautern has been made permanent following his loan spell in Germany. Théo De Percin has meanwhile joined Bastia on loan.
With Sinayoko and Léon among those leaving, Still will begin the campaign with a side that looks considerably different from the one that secured survival in May.
Remember when...
There are few greater underdog stories in French football than Auxerre's 1995/96 campaign. Under the legendary Guy Roux, AJA stunned the established powers of French football to win their first and only Ligue 1 title. They also lifted the Coupe de France, completing a historic domestic double.
It was the high point of an extraordinary rise under Roux, who had taken charge of the club while they were still playing amateur football before eventually leading them to the summit of the French game. A team featuring Laurent Blanc, Sabri Lamouchi, Stéphane Guivarc'h and Lilian Laslandes finished four points clear of Paris Saint-Germain to become champions of France.
Cult hero: Djibril Cissé
Auxerre's celebrated academy has produced generations of top-level talent, but few announced themselves quite as explosively as Djibril Cissé. The striker emerged under Guy Roux at the beginning of the 2000s and quickly became one of the most feared forwards in French football. Blessed with extraordinary pace and an eye for goal, Cissé twice finished as Ligue 1's leading scorer during his time at the Abbé-Deschamps.
He also helped AJA lift the Coupe de France in 2003 before earning a move to Liverpool the following year. The hairstyles, celebrations and goals ensured Cissé was never likely to go unnoticed. More than two decades later, he remains one of the players most closely associated with the final great Auxerre sides of the Roux era.
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