Mandanda, the little brother of French international Steve Mandanda (38), had trained at Caen as a goalkeeper from 2002 until 2007 but never progressed into the first team, and left to find options elsewhere. 

Most notably Mandanda found success in the Belgium league as the goalkeeper for Royal Charleroi between 2011 and 2020, and like his older brother became an international as he represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Last summer Mandanda returned to Caen to train with the team and was afforded opportunities this season with the reserves after the injury to third-choice goalkeeper, Destiné Jopanguy (20). 

This injury coupled with the absence of first-choice Anthony Mandréa (27), due to the Africa Cup of Nations, led to Caen offering Mandanda his first professional contract with the club on Wednesday. 

Mandanda will provide support for Yannis Clementia (26) for the foreseeable future and may well end up earning his first appearance for his boyhood club sixteen years after leaving its academy. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

The appointment comes following the dismissal of Jean-Marc Furlan at the start of the month after not picking up a victory since August. 

According to Ouest-France, the club initially approached former France U-21 manager Sylvain Ripoll, who is out of work since leaving Les Bleuets in the summer but have instead opted to promote Seube, who has been the manager of the reserve team since 2022, to the first team. Seube will manage a first time for the first time. Seube will also bring Emmanuel Lepresle, the long-standing physical trainer at the training ground. The new manager was unveiled to the press on Friday. Caen are currently 16th in the league and are without a league win since August 26th.  

GFFN | Finn Entwistle

The Ligue 2 side, who currently sit 16th in the league and just three points above the relegation zone, have been without a manager since parting ways with Jean-Marc Furlan at the start of November, whose sacking is set to be officially confirmed by the LFP’s judiciary committee on Tuesday. The former AJ Auxerre man was on a nine-game streak without a win at the time of his dismissal. 

Caen have been searching for Furlan’s successor even since, and former France U21 manager Ripoll is now the front-runner to take the job, according to Ouest France. Ripoll has been out of employment since leaving Les Bleuets in the wake of last summer’s underwhelming Euro U21 campaign. 

Ripoll, who has received the offer from Caen is currently mulling over the decision and he will respond imminently. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Furlan replaced Stéphane Moulin in the summer and began life at the Ligue 2 club well, winning his first four games in charge of SM Caen. However, they are now winless in their last nine matches (six defeats, three draws) and have therefore slipped to 12th place. Their latest defeat, at the hands of fellow strugglers ESTAC Troyes, proved to be the nail in the coffin for former AJ Auxerre manager Furlan, who leaves the club just three points above the relegation zone. 

Furlan is the third Ligue 2 manager to lose his job so far this season. Mathieu Chabert (USL Dunkerque) and David Guion (Girondins de Bordeaux) have also lost their jobs since the start of the 2023/24 Ligue 2 season. Caen’s search for Furlan’s successor is ongoing.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Le @SMCaen est fier de vous annoncer l'arrivée de Jean-Marc Furlan #SMCaen #TeamSMC

— Stade Malherbe Caen (@SMCaen) June 14, 2023

Caen were in the market for a head coach after the resignation of Stéphane Moulin. Furlan was reportedly in talks with Paris FC and Angers before agreeing to take over Les Malherbistes, and has a reputation for being a expert when it comes to bringing a Ligue 2 team into Ligue 1, and has done so five times already: with Troyes (2005, 2012, 2015), Brest (2019) and Auxerre (2022). Caen will hope that the former centre-back can pull off a sixth promotion to the top flight.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Portuguese giants have already made a first offer to the Normandy club, with other teams showing interest. He was already reported to be keen on a departure in January, with Stade Rennais leading the race. Porto seemingly would want to loan the forward straight out to another club in order to help him gain experience, before integrating him to the first team the following season.

This season, Bassette moved up from the Under 19s into the Caen first team, playing 22 games this year, including 12 games in Ligue 2. He also made his first appearance for the Belgian Red Devils’ Under 19s back in September, scoring his first goal in that category in March against Italy.

Tall, strong and very mobile, Bassette scored 5 goals in 5 Coupe Gambardella games in the previous season, the team eventually losing to Olympique Lyonnais. While impressing throughout that season and being one of the most dangerous players in that very final, he unfortunately missed his team’s 6^th penalty, before Gwendal Degorce gave the Gones the victory.

GFFN | Tom Abadie

Speaking to Ouest-France, Moulin said his departure was mostly down to a strained working relationship with club president Olivier Pickeu. The latter was Angers’ Sporting director when Moulin was at the helm. “Today, I don’t feel like continuing in these conditions, because the situation is not in line with what I imagine for the future, what I need, and what we went through in the past.”

It has been a very difficult season for Moulin on a personal level too. The Caen manager mourned the passing of his wife at the turn of the year. Moulin said to Ouest-France that he intends to return to Angers, but he does not expect to coach a team next season. The outlet and L’Équipe report that former Troyes manager Bruno Irles is the early favourite to takeover Caen next season.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Strasbourg have been interested in the player for the past two years. Finally, their interest will manifest itself in a transfer. Deminguet’s contract with Ligue 2 side Caen will expire this summer, and as previously reported by Ouest France, the player will now join on a free upon the expiry of the contract.

According to L’Équipe, the Frenchman will sign a contract until 2017. Last season, Deminguet scored six goals and made nine assists in 33 Ligue 2 matches. This season, the former France U20 international, whose last contract with Caen was signed back in 2019, has featured less frequently, scoring once and registering two assists in 11 appearances in all competitions. Strasbourg are currently embroiled in a fight to remain in France’s top flight, and it is therefore unclear currently whether Deminguet will be competing in Ligue 1 next season. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Several Ligue 2 clubs have shown an interest in loaning the 2019-2020 Ligue 2 season’s second-best goalscorer with Clermont. The following season, Lorient purchased Grbić for €9m on a five-year deal, but the Austrian never made his mark with the Brittany outfit. He was loaned out to Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, for which he scored only one goal in 22 games, one year ago before returning to Lorient last summer. Caen were in talks with Grbić and the player even traveled to Normandy to seal his loan, but the Austrian international wanted guarantees regarding his game time, something that was not to the liking of Caen’s hierarchy.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Sylla is out of contract with the Eredivisie outfit next summer and has been short of game time with Utrecht. He has only played ten games this season, the last of which was in October. The younger brother of former Aston Villa man Yacouba Sylla is expected to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Normandy side, currently eighth-placed in Ligue 2 standings. The former AS Monaco youth product, who signed professionally and played Champions League football with Les Monégasques, has already undergone his medical with his new club.

The imminent signing of Sylla might mean that Caen have pulled the plug on a move for Lorient’s out-of-favour forward Adrian Grbic (26). Ouest-France reports that the Austrian is asking for guarantees regarding his game time, an attitude that may not be to the liking of Caen’s hierarchy.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval