In an interview with RMC Sport, Saint-Etienne coach Claude Puel concedes the club lack the money to make any major summer transfer moves, saying Les Verts are behind newly-promoted Lens and Lorient in financial might.

“Adil (Aouchiche) is emblematic of the youngsters that we have signed up to this new project, knowing that we don’t have considerable financial means.

You have to know that newly-promoted sides like Lens or Lorient, or even Brest and Metz, can do transfers that we can no longer do. That means that the balance is changing in the league. We therefore tried to shift our attention to the young players who seem to have quality, and are free and accessible.

Adil was one of those. He has just turned 18, he finished his youth contract with PSG and was wanted by the whole of Europe. But his family and his agents wanted to see him stay in France to continue to develop.”