On the eve of the friendly match against En Avant Guingamp, Régis Le Bris was at a press conference this Friday. An appointment facing the media largely dominated by the surprise arrival of Benjamin Mendy in Lorient this week.
The 29-year-old French defender was found not guilty of rape and attempted rape by a British court on Friday, five months after being acquitted of six other rape charges and one of sexual assault. Benjamin Mendy was retried on two charges on which the jury failed to reach a verdict after the first trial. Just arrived at FC Lorient, the French side had an individual indoor session this Friday before going to greet his teammates.
The arrival of Benjamin Mendy, new number 5⃣ of the Merlus
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– FC LORIENT
(@FCLorient) July 19, 2023
“We thought why not”
Present at a press conference, Régis Le Bris did not escape several questions about the signing of Benjamin Mendy. “It was done like many recruitments. We need, we build a workforce with the desire to make it as competitive as possible. One of the challenges is to be able to cover certain positions with real competition (…) And then we said to ourselves why not even if it seemed very far away because of the status of the player, his experience and what Lorient is today. But in the end the rapprochement was able to take place so we are very satisfied with it”dropped the coach of the Hakes.
“The feeling passed very quickly”
Régis Le Bris then revealed part of the content of a video exchange he had with Benjamin Mendy before his signature. “Two hours that told me a lot about the player’s personality. He is a character like many footballers in this category that we watch on television, I had not had the opportunity to meet him before. The feeling very quickly passed on the connection and the compatibility that we can have with what is done at the club. It is above all a lot of humility, above all a passion for football, above all the desire to enter into a collective project”he explained before acknowledging that Mendy would probably need 6 to 8 weeks of work before being really operational.
