27 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Francs Borains lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at KAA Gent is saying, and nobody at Francs Borains is enjoying the guessing.
Pjotr Kestens and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. KAA Gent have kept their man, and Francs Borains go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The words a physio says slowly. 35 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
18 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Francs Borains they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Francs Borains can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
7.92, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.
The deal with KAA Gent is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Clément Michelin. 3‑1 against KAA Gent, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Francs Borains asked and Anderlecht said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
16 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Francs Borains have done the hard part with KAA Gent, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Pjotr Kestens was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
At 36, 3 points below where he was, and a body that has started charging interest. It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph on this page.
Boardroom31 Jul 2028
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Francs Borains
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Every long career reaches the week the last one is thought about. He would like it to be where he started, and Francs Borains know now that the thought has arrived.
Francs Borains asked and Racing Genk said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Philipp Wydra and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Francs Borains have made the call to Union SG. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Rayan Berberi is on it.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Philipp Wydra trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at KAA Gent is saying, and nobody at Francs Borains is enjoying the guessing.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Francs Borains asked and SC Aubagne Air Bel said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad17 Jul 2028
6 new faces, and Francs Borains are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Francs Borains would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Francs Borains, and it is not being withdrawn.
$860.0K was the most the club would pay and KV Mechelen were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Francs Borains can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. KAA Gent have kept their man, and Francs Borains go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The name of Tristen Alliet has come up in conversations Francs Borains were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
He is doing things every Saturday that nobody around him can answer. It is flattering for a season and a problem after that, and Francs Borains know which stage they are at.
Francs Borains have made the call to KAA Gent. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The offer from KV Mechelen for Denilho Cleonise was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Anderlecht keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
The offer went to KV Mechelen this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Muhammed Kahveci is living that version at Francs Borains, and it tends to show in the first month.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Fernando Monarrez and Francs Borains agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Ahmed Sharahili was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Francs Borains, and it is not being withdrawn.
Everything agreed with Anderlecht, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Francs Borains asked and Union SG said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Jeovanni Dianganga and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Romain Vanhoutte and Francs Borains agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The deal with KAA Gent is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Pjotr Kestens and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Francs Borains asked and RWDM said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
He is not being dropped. There is simply nowhere in the formation Francs Borains are playing to put a man who does what he does, which is a harder thing to be told than any team sheet.
The offer from Lokeren-Temse for Jarno Libert was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Francs Borains can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Dender have kept their man, and Francs Borains go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The name of Tristen Alliet has come up in conversations Francs Borains were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Francs Borains have made the call to RAAL La Louviere. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Promotion, confirmed and mathematical, and a town that will not sleep much tonight. Whatever else this season had in it, it ends a division higher than it began.
The offer from Anderlecht for Denilho Cleonise was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Francs Borains can pretend not to have heard.
The deal with Westerlo is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Jeovanni Dianganga was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The phone has started ringing about Jarno Libert again, and this time the name on the line is Lokeren-Temse. Francs Borains are listening politely and promising nothing.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Francs Borains has been clear about where Ahmed Sharahili stands, which is more than many ever get.
This is the season the town will measure the next twenty against. The trophy travels home with the squad, and the route through the streets was agreed days ago.
An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Francs Borains have had the benefit of it.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: another club keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. Francs Borains will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Fernando Monarrez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Rayan Berberi is on it.
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad22 May 2028
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph a local paper has to write. 35 years old, 3 points down on where he was, and a body that has started charging interest on a career.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Francs Borains can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
The words a physio says slowly. 134 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Everybody saw it before anybody said it. At 36 the numbers say 3 points down on what he was, and the question for Francs Borains is how to handle a man they owe a great deal.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Carlos Forbs was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Francs Borains, another week without a signature from Jeovanni Dianganga.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Pjotr Kestens and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Anton Dupont and Francs Borains agree another 3 years.
Squad1 May 2028
11 new faces, and Francs Borains are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Néhémie Lurika trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Carlos Forbs falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Francs Borains. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Francs Borains would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
17 graduates from an academy now rated 11 out of 20. A club this size does not survive any other way, and every name on that list is known in the town.
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Carlos Forbs has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
16 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Francs Borains will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
46 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Carlos Forbs falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 87. RSCA Futures had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Francs Borains pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Francs Borains will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Lyam Hodiamont did not need any: 7.81, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Francs Borains have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The first defeat in 7 matches. The manager will say it had to come; the dressing room will say it did not have to come against Jong Genk; the supporters will say both, in that order, all week.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Francs Borains know it.
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 86. Jong Genk had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
6 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
14 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
1 for Maxime Bastian, marked 7.90, and a centre-half's name in the part of the report he normally only reaches by mistake. He will not be allowed to forget it in the dressing room for a month.
The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Francs Borains will quote 16 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
16 goals and a season average of 7.32 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Marked 7.07 on 10 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ryan Fredericks and Francs Borains agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
15 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Carlos Forbs is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Pjotr Kestens and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The fixture the rest of the division is looking forward to more than either of the sides in it. Both know a win changes the season and a defeat does not end it, which is what makes it hard to play.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Kyliann Fofana trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Martin Lecolier has written the date down.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Simone Ardizzone was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Christian Meunier, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
13 without defeat on their own grass. The pitch has not changed; the crowd has — louder earlier, and quicker to sense when the opposition would rather be somewhere else.
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Everybody saw it before anybody said it. At 36 the numbers say 3 points down on what he was, and the question for Francs Borains is how to handle a man they owe a great deal.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Carlos Forbs falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Successful dribbles: 31. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
12 matches unbeaten here. Every visiting manager is asked about it in the week before, which is precisely why it keeps going.
Boardroom7 Feb 2028
Francs Borains close the window on a squad of their own making
7 in and 5 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Francs Borains can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. Francs Borains will try again when the window opens; Waasland-Beveren may not be selling by then.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Jeovanni Dianganga is living that version at Francs Borains, and it tends to show in the first month.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at KAA Gent is saying, and nobody at Francs Borains is enjoying the guessing.
The chase for Joris Gouache ended with $400.0K changing hands and Patro Eisden out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
The fee is $380.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Lokeren-Temse drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Elyèss Dao did not need any: 7.97, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Francs Borains can pretend not to have heard.
There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Francs Borains will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.
10 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Elyèss Dao did not need any: 7.89, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Eupen made Francs Borains work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
He is 21 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
The fixture the rest of the division is looking forward to more than either of the sides in it. Both know a win changes the season and a defeat does not end it, which is what makes it hard to play.
Marked 8.23 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
He won it back and then made something of it, which is two jobs and the reason the scoreline looks the way it does. 9 combined actions and a mark of 7.40, and not one of them will make a highlights package.
A brace, and Carlos Forbs takes the afternoon — 8.17
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Carlos Forbs provided it, and the 8.17 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
At 35, 3 points below where he was, and a body that has started charging interest. It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph on this page.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Francs Borains can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
8 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
The young player of the month award goes to a 21-year-old at Francs Borains who has looked like the finished article for four weekends running. The next four are the ones that decide whether he is.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Simone Ardizzone was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Francs Borains has been clear about where Tristen Alliet stands, which is more than many ever get.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Dorian Dessoleil trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Olympic Charleroi in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Francs Borains would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Carlos Forbs was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Nov 2027
A place in the month's best eleven for Pjotr Kestens
Four or five weekends of consistency, judged against everybody in the division doing his job. Pjotr Kestens has come out of that comparison in the side, and Francs Borains have had the benefit of every one of those afternoons.
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout8 Nov 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Christian Meunier was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Francs Borains dressing room was either.
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Lommel defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Francs Borains has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
In brief
Player ratingsThe one thing Pjotr Kestens could not do
Some goals win a match and some take one off somebody else. Abdoul Diop scored in the 89th minute, Club NXT had already begun thinking about the journey home, and Francs Borains took the lot.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
9 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Francs Borains know it.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Abdoul Diop has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Francs Borains have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Francs Borains told Elyèss Dao something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
A brace, and Philipp Wydra takes the afternoon — 8.23
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Philipp Wydra provided it, and the 8.23 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
At 35, 3 points below where he was, and a body that has started charging interest. It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph on this page.
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Carlos Forbs has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Marked 7.04 on 11 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Francs Borains people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Two goals and a mark of 7.99 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
The name of Amine Benfriha has come up in conversations Francs Borains were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Francs Borains asked and Union SG said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
22 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Francs Borains lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Vitesse is saying, and nobody at Francs Borains is enjoying the guessing.
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ryan Fredericks commits to Francs Borains for another 2 years.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Carlos Forbs falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Ahmed Sharahili was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Racing Genk have kept their man, and Francs Borains go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
5 without a win is the sort of run that changes how a town talks about its club, and Eupen were the afternoon it stopped. Nothing is fixed by one result and everything feels different by one.
The words a physio says slowly. 30 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ryan Fredericks and Francs Borains agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Francs Borains know it.
Francs Borains asked and Club Brugge said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The offer from Beerschot for Jovan Mituljikić was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Francs Borains asked and Charleroi said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Ahmed Sharahili was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Francs Borains have made the call to KV Kortrijk. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ahmed Sharahili trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Nobody at Francs Borains will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Francs Borains. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Francs Borains, and it is not being withdrawn.
Union SG paid $1.1M and Francs Borains took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Corenthyn Lavie has his answer from Francs Borains; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Francs Borains. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Beerschot paid $1.5M and Francs Borains took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
At 35, 3 points below where he was, and a body that has started charging interest. It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph on this page.
The name of Aboubacar Ali has come up in conversations Francs Borains were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad21 Jun 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Ahmed Sharahili and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Francs Borains asked and Club Brugge said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Francs Borains people have started saying his name in the past tense.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Francs Borains, and it is not being withdrawn.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Francs Borains asked and KAA Gent said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Francs Borains will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
Francs Borains have made the call to Club Brugge. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Leandro Pisu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
24 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Francs Borains lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
The offer from Cercle Brugge for Mathias Fixelles was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The phone has started ringing about Massimo Bruno again, and this time the name on the line is Standard Liege. Francs Borains are listening politely and promising nothing.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Francs Borains have done the hard part with Club Brugge, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
39 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Francs Borains lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Ahmed Sharahili and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 14 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ahmed Sharahili trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager makes Levi Malungu a promise
48 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Francs Borains lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Ahmed Sharahili was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Francs Borains will quote 16 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
“I did not go to Lokeren-Temse to sit and watch. I want to come back to Francs Borains and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 15 matches say the rest.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ahmed Sharahili trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Adrian Troć is on it.
55 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Francs Borains lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I did not go to Patro Eisden to sit and watch. I want to come back to Francs Borains and fight for my place.” 9 appearances in 39 matches say the rest.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Sébastien Dewaest has written the date down.
62 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Francs Borains lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad3 May 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
69 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Francs Borains lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Massimo Bruno and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Francs Borains, and both men came out saying it was fine.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Mondy Prunier has written the date down.
76 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Francs Borains lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Francs Borains have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Massimo Bruno and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I watch every Francs Borains game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Lokeren-Temse runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Francs Borains, and both men came out saying it was fine.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
A manager forgives a bad Saturday far more readily than a bad Tuesday, because one of them he can explain and the other one he chose. The reports this week have not been good.
The words a physio says slowly. 83 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Francs Borains know it.
93 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Francs Borains lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Francs Borains have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Everybody at Francs Borains saw it before anybody said it, which is how this always goes. At 35 the decline is real and measurable — 3 points — and the only question left is how the club handles somebody it owes a great deal to.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Adnan Nainggolan is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Yannick Kompany is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Charles Kompany is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
The words a physio says slowly. 100 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Ahmed Sharahili was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Dorian Dessoleil trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Jarno De Smet’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Francs Borains needing him to play as if none of it matters.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Sébastien Dewaest has written the date down.
The language has come, the shrug has gone, and he argues in training like a man who expects to be here next year. None of it shows up on a fee and all of it shows up on the pitch.
108 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Francs Borains lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Francs Borains, and 2 appearances in 7 say he has earned the hearing.
Enoha Bontems was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout22 Mar 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Christian Meunier was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Francs Borains dressing room was either.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Olympic Charleroi defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Nobody at Francs Borains is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
116 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Francs Borains lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
7 matches without defeat, and then Waasland-Beveren. Nobody at the ground pretended it would go on forever; nobody expected it to stop here either.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Francs Borains, and 9 appearances in 31 say he has earned the hearing.
131 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Francs Borains lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Successful dribbles: 31. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Francs Borains is running low.
Massimo Bruno was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
200 games in the shirt. Nobody sets out to build a record like that; it happens to a certain kind of player at a certain kind of club, and this town knows what it has.
139 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Francs Borains lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Successful dribbles: 28. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
5 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Francs Borains may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Philipp Wydra and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Francs Borains pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
131 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Francs Borains lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Marked 8.18 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
The words a physio says slowly. 138 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Charles Courtois has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Kevin Kompany has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
145 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Francs Borains lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
At 33 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.19 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
7.96, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Deadline passes with 2 signed and 3 gone
That is the business done at Francs Borains until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Francs Borains asked and Tromso said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
In brief
Player ratingsNinety minutes of Denilho Cleonise at his very best
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Francs Borains, and it is not being withdrawn.
The chase for Jarno De Smet ended with $1.1M changing hands and Lierse out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Jarno De Smet was the name on every phone-in, and the club has gone and signed him for $1.1M. For one week the board can do no wrong, which is a week most boards never get.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ryan Fredericks was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
$3.9M is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.
He is going to Racing Genk, the club has $3.9M it did not have on Friday, and the phone-ins have already decided how they feel about that. Selling well and selling somebody they loved are not the same skill.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Francs Borains can pretend not to have heard.
The fee is $160.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. KV Kortrijk drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Racing Genk have kept their man, and Francs Borains go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Racing Genk waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Francs Borains is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
He is going to Waasland-Beveren, the club has $570.0K it did not have on Friday, and the phone-ins have already decided how they feel about that. Selling well and selling somebody they loved are not the same skill.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Francs Borains, and it is not being withdrawn.
$160.0K on the table at KV Kortrijk. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Francs Borains this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Aboubacar Ali is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Waasland-Beveren pay $570.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Everybody at Francs Borains saw it before anybody said it, which is how this always goes. At 35 the decline is real and measurable — 3 points — and the only question left is how the club handles somebody it owes a great deal to.
In brief
SquadRyan Fredericks falls out with a teammate over standards
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Francs Borains can pretend not to have heard.
The name of Jordy Soladio has come up in conversations Francs Borains were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Massimo Bruno was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Words at Francs Borains training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ryan Fredericks is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Francs Borains asked and Anderlecht said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Francs Borains know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Francs Borains, another week without a signature from Denilho Cleonise.
In brief
Transfer targetsA loan move for Kjell Peersman is in the works