How Le Mans rose from sixth tier to cusp of top-flight return
Massa was already an investor in Frangulis' company, and also had a close connection to Magnussen. Frangulis is also the husband of Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one in women's tennis, hence the connection with Djokovic. "[Frangulis] told us that Djokovic is crazy about football.
We spoke to Djokovic, he liked the project, so he decided to invest," said Oliveira. Courtois "really liked the whole idea of what [Le Mans] are building", and so he reached out to the investors and joined the project back in February. "It is important that they know the world of sport because it is a world that has its own way of working," Le Mans president Thierry Gomez, who arrived in 2016 and is responsible for helping rebuild the club following bankruptcy, said.
Now, the club are on the brink of a return to the top flight - a win at Bastia on Saturday (19:00 BST) would confirm their promotion. At the time of OutField's arrival Le Mans were on a strong financial footing, despite the difficult economic context in French football and their own not-so-distant struggles. That is in part due to Gomez's management of the club, but there was a perceived ceiling that only outside investment would help break.
"There was no urgency; the club didn't need help, but wanted to grow," Gomez added. "Rather than a question of survival, as it is for some, it was a question of finding someone else to take over. " Le Mans, who were in the third division when takeover talks began, were an attractive proposition for many reasons.
A club without any debt, Oliveira also spoke of the "great infrastructure". OutField took over Coritiba, a historic Brazilian side, back in 2023 and led them back to the first division. When looking to expand the 'portfolio' and move to Europe, Oliveira stressed a "focus on player development".