This is not to downplay what Reims achieved in 2018/19, the side were tremendous, and ended up finishing in eighth place, but it is to say that a noteworthy investment was required to fuel this success. For Nimes this was simply not an option. Nonetheless, in the end it may have served the club well. The squad moved into their first top-flight campaign in 26 years with a group of players, that for the most part, understood how to play together, as well as the momentous opportunity they had to prove themselves. Of the 13 players that logged the most minutes during the 2018/19 season: six were promoted from the ‘B’ team, four were signed for free, two were on loan, and only one was purchased for a fee. From this one could conclude that the most prominent players either: a) understood what it meant to the club to be in the first division after such a long wait, or b) were largely unwanted by their previous, or parent club, and had a chance to show their metal on France’s largest footballing stage. Regardless, it made for an extremely hungry and determined side.