Cyril CHAPUIS

Cyril Chapuis arrived in July 2000 from Niort. At the beginning of the season, he was only supposed to have a bit-part role in the team as the club had spent millions on new signings Fabiano, Lucas and Turdo. But, between late signings, and problems to acclimatise, Chapuis still managed to convince his boss Le Guen, and he started the season as first-choice. He was often left to fend for himself upfront, but never gave anything less than 100%, making lots of runs, and shutting down the opposition as the first line of defence. On the down side, however, expending so much energy often meant he wasn’t as clinical as he needed to be in front of goal. When Turdo was dropped from the starting line-up, he scored 8 of his 10 goals between Matchdays 13 and 28. He was often called up for the U20s, and was one of the real prospects at Stade Rennais. When Gourcuff took over as Manager in 2001, Chapuis was given less game time, preferring the strike pairing of Monterrubio and Lucas. He only started 9 times before the winter break, and scoring five goals, Chapuis joined Marseille in January 2002 for 5.5 Million Euros.