Conor McDonald: The Student

Conor McDonald has broken his club’s transfer record for the second time in the same week to sign Sporting Lisbon’s Diogo Medeiros for €7.75million.

Cobh had only just beaten their record transfer by signing Ottavio Mirabella for €3.5million but Medeiros’ fee is almost double that.

Medeiros comes in as what can only be described as Kern Hernandez’s replacement since leaving for Leeds United in a €12.5million deal with the Premier League side.

The 19-year-old centre-back came through Sporting’s famed academy but Medeiros never managed to make a first-team appearance for the Liga NOS side.

Medeiros has been handed Hernandez’s old number 5 shirt at St. Colman’s Park after agreeing a €2,000 per week contract until December 2029.

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Seb: He's certainly one for the future in the way I see it. With regards to the price of Mirabella and Medeiros, it's true that clubs will charge us more but they only do so now because they know we can pay it.

The money really is starting to fly out now. Breaking the transfer record by a huge amount and nobody in Ireland is going to be able to contend at this stage. Conor is building a team that could be challenging in the Champions League this season. Great stuff.

“Mr. McDonald, over here!” Shouted an American accent. Conor was checking his phone as he walked down the quiet street in the beaming sunshine of Southwestern France.

Conor turned back after hearing the voice, sat outside a small café were two smart-looking men with coffees sat in front of them.

“Joe, Frédéric,” Conor said, shaking their hands as he approached them. “So good to finally see you in person!”

“The way you were walking just then it seemed as though you have never visited Bordeaux before!” Frédéric laughed. “Please, take a seat.” He said, pulling out a chair opposite them for Conor as he placed his bag on the floor.

In the 33°C heat, it was a relief to finally take the bag off his left shoulder as it was beginning to become very tiresome.

Joseph DaGrosa was the American Club President of Girondins de Bordeaux Football Club and Frédéric Longuépée was the club’s Managing Director. Conor had agreed to meet them in their city to discuss a move.

“I’m so glad that you chose this weekend to come, the weather must really be a selling point, right?” Joseph said. “It hasn’t been this good for me since I was back in New York City!”

“It’s a beautiful place,” Conor said as he asked a waiter for an icy glass of water to cool down from the warm weather. He sat just in the shade so that the sun wasn’t falling straight onto his unprotected face. “So, I understand we have business?”

“Indeed we do, we really appreciate you coming out all of this way to talk to us. We know that you are a man in demand – especially after this summer.” DaGrosa said. “That Europa League you pulled off: phenomenal.”

“Absolutely,” Longuépée continued. “I mean as a result of that and obviously the rest of your career with Cobh Ramblers, this isn’t so much an interview where we get to know you. This is for you to get to know us.”

“We want you to become Bordeaux’s new manager.” DaGrosa said, putting his clasped hands on the table, looking right at Conor.

“And I wouldn’t have come out all this way midseason to speak to you if I wasn’t interested.” Conor said, looking swiftly at both of them.

DaGrosa and Longuépée smiled at each other after Conor finished those words. It was clear to Conor that these men were desperate to get him into the club.

“I have looked at the club and its position over the past ten or so years and it appears to me that this club is in dire need of a revolution. The Ligue 1 title win is far too long ago in the past. I want all reference to those successes torn down at the club because I want to take Bordeaux back there and on my own terms.

“The landscape has shifted in France since then, money has poured into the league and that leaves men like yourselves with clubs like yours in a situation where you need to be different. You need a strategy that doesn’t require bucket loads of money.

“All you need is a man with a set of ideas and suddenly this division’s landscape is changed once more.” Conor said, reaching the end of his soliloquy.

The two men once again looked at each other, clearly very happy by what they heard.

“You couldn’t be more right, Conor,” DaGrosa said. “I’ll lay it out simple for you.

“The earlier you arrive, the better. Our first friendly is next week against Tours, our first league fixture is almost a calendar month afterwards.

“We will give you €30,000,000 to spend, with another €200,000 per week to spend on wages. Our expectations are the top-half, but I think I know you. You want more than that. You want Europe immediately.” He finished.

“You’re spot on. I want Europe as soon as possible.” Conor said before taking a sip of his water. “What’s in it for me?”

“Three-year initial contract. €15,000 per week, so that’s around €8,250 after taxation takes its toll.” DaGrosa said.

“Are you in?” Asked Longuépée.

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Seb: The spending power at my disposal compared to the rest is quite something nowadays. There's certainly some competition in Cobh in the UCL this year.

Well that is an interesting move and certainly not a club that immediately sprang to mind for one Conor could perhaps move to. France is obviously a monopoly at the moment with the real race being who will finish second to PSG, hopefully if Conor does make the move, he can enter the actual title race before too long.

I'm unsure if this is the right move for Conor in all honesty. He's losing a hell of a lot of his wage to tax, so is he actually better off going to France!? There'd be better offers around the corner for a Europa League winner imo, but it'd be interesting to see if he could turn Bordeaux back into a challenger.

I have no script for what I have to say right now. No notes, nothing, because I wanted to speak openly and from the heart.

This is a thank you to Cobh Ramblers. That’s not just people like Aidan [Cunningham] or Michael [O’Donovan] before him, not just the players, the medical team, the coaching staff, the players or the supporters. This is all of you.

This has been the most fantastic time of my life. Thank you.

I have been so fortunate to have been able to manage some of the greatest players that this nation has ever seen, let alone Cobh Ramblers. All of the players that I have worked with have been an absolute pleasure and I am sure you can tell simply down to the hard work that all of them have put in over the years.

We won so many trophies together, nineteen trophies in total – so I believe. Imagine me thinking that I’d lose track of how many trophies we had won together on day one of my time here in Ireland! Crazy.

But that is how far we have come together, ever since day one there were people in this town who were backing some young kid coming straight out of university to trust him with the reigns of their club. My success is down to you people who believed in me, my ideas, my transfers, my tactics, my players, everything. I could not have achieved half of what we have done without you lot and your support. Well done to every single one of you.

My departure does not mean the end of my life with the club, either. I will always be tuning in to see how Cobh Ramblers are doing, I’ll always be keeping in contact with the community because you are the ones who made me a man.

I have to say, I feel like Cobh is my spiritual home now. Whenever people ask me where I’m from, even where I was born, I reply: “I’m from Cobh.” That is because I have never felt more at home than I have done in this town.

My reasons for leaving are simple: I feel like I have taken Cobh Ramblers as far as I can as a football club. We won the Europa League this season and that will take some beating! I feel like Bordeaux have presented a fantastic opportunity to me, a new opportunity with more challenges ahead – and it’s a very beautiful part of the world!

I have left all of my current backroom staff in place so that when a new manager comes in, the transition from myself to them will be as smooth as possible.

I’d also like to remind the Cobh fans of the times where we had tough times as a club together, where we felt like giving up collectively, all of the staff stood by me, all of the players stood by me. Your job as fans is now to stand with your new manager.

Juan Ramón López Muniz will be taking over as a caretaker manager for the present and he is a superb manager – it would not surprise me if Mr Chairman does eventually appoint him as permanent manager!

I wish the players every success in the future. You know how good you are, you know how much the shirt that you wear means to each and every one of those fans. Don’t ever let yourselves down. The expectation will always remain there.

To every single person involved with Cobh Ramblers: Thank You.

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Seb: Indeed, I wanted a challenge and tackling the monopoly that not only stands with PSG and Monaco, but also the outsiders such as Marseille/Lyon/ASSE
James: At this point, I don't think money is much of a motivator with his wage already being able to supply a more than livable lifestyle. As six-time winners of Ligue 1, I think Bordeaux should be up there with the big boys and I want to put them there.

I like to imagine that Sarah Kelly is sat in her small office still convinced O'Donovan was wrong to hire Conor in the first place. An incredible time at Cobh and one that nobody will forget. I think it was the right time to move on as well with that Europa League win the perfect way to see everything off. Bordeaux present a new challenge that will give fresh life to Conor and I can't wait to see him winning trophies once again, I'm sure it won't take long!

Conor's success in Ireland will never be replicated by another manager, and Bordeaux fans must be salivating at the prospect of the Irishman turning their club around and building it from the ground up. Time and time again he's proven people wrong, and it'll be interesting to see him build a completely new support staff, and how he goes about his business initially.

Good luck in France, but will this cause difficulties in his relationship!?!

Just been catching up on everything there from the last day or so and some excellent transfer business at Cobh in and out. I certainly agree that a new challenge is needed for Conor though and it will now be interesting to see if you poach any players from Cobh now. There will be many more exciting time ahead I'm sure

Conor McDonald has finally put the rumours to bed about his future as Girondins de Bordeaux announce the English 27-year-old as the man to replace Alain Perrin.

McDonald completed six years at Cobh Ramblers where he became a legend, lifting 19 trophies during his time at St. Colman’s Park, including three Premier League titles and a Europa League title.

He took over the Cork-based club in June 2019 when Cobh were sat in 6th place in the second tier of Irish football before finally making them First Division champions in 2021 following a failed Play-Off attempt the year before.

From 2021, the club transitioned immediately from the new team on the block to Irish champions, lifting the Premier League at the first time of asking in 2022, subsequently ending Dundalk’s four-year dominance of the title.

With last year being McDonald’s best year for trophies – lifting five in the process – his triumphs throughout this current year have outshone any prior achievements, going all the way to lift the 2024/25 Europa League against RB Leipzig at Ibrox Stadium.

His arrival in Southwestern France comes little over a month since his European success after meetings with Bordeaux’s owner Joseph DaGrosa and Managing Director Frédéric Longuépée.

Bordeaux are going through perhaps one of their darkest periods as a club, going through six different managers in six years under Longuépée’s directorship of Bordeaux.

In 2020, Les Girondins fell to their lowest league position since 2004/05 under Paulo Sousa and Eusebio Di Francesco with neither manager lasting more than a calendar year at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux.

However, since then the club has been on the up with a 5th placed finish in 2022 followed by three consecutive 8th placed finishes in Ligue 1 up until present day.

With such a long tenure in Ireland, it is hard to imagine why McDonald has chosen his next challenge at a club with such a poor record with managerial turnover.

McDonald did address his reasons for the move with French sports news outlet L’Équipe.

McDonald:

I am not a manager who chooses the easiest opportunities. If I did that, I would not have even got off the starting grid like I did with Cobh Ramblers in Ireland.

Bordeaux presents me with an opportunity to recreate a winning atmosphere but with a bigger club.

One thing that always concerned me with Cobh towards the end of our Europa League campaign was the question: “When will the club grow too big for its own good?”

I think I did take Cobh as far as I could considering the rest of the division and the finances involved. Yes, we mixed Europe up a lot, in a huge way by winning the Europa League but to expand on that would have been near-impossible.

French football has the tools to create a European giant, you just need a catalyst like Paris has had with money. I hope to be that catalyst for Bordeaux in a managerial sense. That is why I am here.

Conor McDonald has already added to his backroom team, bringing in the former Red Bull Salzburg youth manager Henrik Pedersen as his new assistant manager as well as an old face from Cobh Ramblers in first-team coach Dean Wells.

The 27-year-old has signed a three-year deal with Girondins de Bordeaux until June 2029, earning €15,000 per week.

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Seb: I can't imagine Sarah has much of a career left in her after her awful judgement early on The timing was certainly right, I think the Europa League tops his time at Cobh off wonderfully and I think it would be almost impossible to do any better than that in Ireland.
James: I think in Ireland he is a one-in-a-lifetime manager in terms of club level. With new staff that he hasn't assembled it will be strange in new surroundings but as he did with Cobh, he will make the necessary adjustments. As for Saoirse, we will find out.
tedbro20: I think I have left Cobh with a more than suitable squad for the next man to use and win titles with! A new challenge was definitely necessary and I think Bordeaux fits the bill entirely.

Excellent introduction. Looking forward to see Conor's moves in the transfer market to get ready for the start of league

Bonjour Conor!

You know how much I love French football so this change of scenary is greatly welcomed from me!

Conor can get a way better girlfriend now that he's in France tbh, or maybe he can have an Irish girlfriend and a French girlfriend He'll have to be very active in the upcoming transfer window, but if anyone can turn Bordeaux around: it's him.

LET'S DO THIS!

New Bordeaux manager Conor McDonald has adjusted his Bordeaux squad for the 2025/26 Ligue 1 campaign by bringing in no less than eleven new first-team players.

The focus of recruitment for Les Girondins has been on the defence with only one centre-back in the first-team at McDonald’s time of arrival triggering a need to bring in new faces.

A total of €82million has been brought into the club this summer. The departures of Dennis Man and other players were decided prior to the new manager’s regime as Man’s move to Norwich City brought in €23million.

Bordeaux 2 players Madjid Haddadou, Carl Babin and Ousmane Diomandé all made their way out of the club for a combined fee of €1.8million to AS Nancy, Sochaux-Montbéliard and Stade Rennais respectively.

Former Reading midfielder Ovie Ejaria also made a big-money move back to England, joining Chris Wilder’s Fulham for a fee just short of the €15million mark.

The biggest outgoing deal of the window was the sale of Venezuelan left-winger Yeferson Soteldo who linked up with Ligue 1 rivals Olympique Lyonnais for a bank-breaking €42million despite only two goals and two assists in 26 league appearances last season.

Centre-Backs

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Krystian Bielik was the first centre-back through the door for Bordeaux this summer, signing from Norwich City for an initial €9.25million (potentially rising to €10.75million dependent on clauses).

The Polish international shifted his playing career from his native Poland to England with a move from Lech Póznan to Arsenal in 2011. Following two lower division loans to Birmingham and Charlton, Bielik finally made a permanent move away to join Championship side Derby County for €9.25million in 2019.

After 78 appearances for The Rams, he was sold onto his most recent club Norwich in a €21.5million deal as he made 28 appearances in his debut season in the English Premier League. However, Norwich were relegated that season.

Bielik helped along the way to Norwich’s promotion season two seasons later, once again featuring in the Premier League before a January loan move to Millwall back in the Championship.

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Stanley Nsoki was the second signing at centre-back for Bordeaux and immediately arrived on the same day as Bielik. He joined from Danish champions FC Kobenhavn in a €3.5million deal.

Nsoki started his career at Paris Saint-Germain and featured a lot in their 2018/19 title-winning season before a move to fellow Ligue 1 club OGC Nice for €12million.

He only spent one more season in France before a €2million move to England with Leeds United. He became a regular figure in Leeds’ Championship teams and also featured in their first season back in the Premier League.

The Danish champions then picked up the centre-back for a €4.8million fee, making 15 appearances last season.

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Cobh’s final move for a centre-back was the completion of a season-long loan deal for Bayern Munich’s talented young Uli Fachinger.

Since joining Bayern from Hoffenheim in 2020, Fachinger has featured three times for the first-team, spending most of his time in the 2nd team in 3. Liga.

His move to Bordeaux is his first loan move away from the club since joining.

Full-Backs

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To take over from youth players filling in for first-team full-back roles, Enock Kwateng was Bordeaux’s first signing in defence, joining for €3.3million from Serie A outfit Genoa.

The French 28-year-old started out at Ligue 1 club FC Nantes and made his breakthrough in the 2018/19 season.

Kwateng has actually played for Bordeaux before, signing him on a free transfer in 2019 for one season before Nimes Olympique bought the player for €2.6million the next season.

He spent four seasons at Nimes as a key player in the first-team before being transfer-listed in 2024, leading to his 2024 move to Italy – his first move abroad. After 11 appearances for Genoa, he has returned to France after just one season away.

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McDonald’s move to cover the left-back position was made in the form of another loan deal – Bordeaux’s second out of three temporary deals. Juventus’ Khalid Abboubi made a season-long move to Ligue 1.

Known as a pacy operator down the wing, Abboubi began his career at Nimes Olympique in France, playing mostly for their 2nd team before a huge €8million deal taking him to Juventus Stadium in 2023.

After one substitute appearance for Juventus in Serie A, he spent last season on loan to Lecce in Serie B where he featured regularly, making 32 league appearances.

Midfielders

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Bordeaux’s third and final loan deal came from a domestic rival in AS Monaco as their 23-year-old central midfielder Eliot Matazo signed a season-long deal at the club.

Matazo has been at Monaco since signing on a free transfer from boyhood club Anderlecht in 2018. Featuring regularly for Monaco’s 2nd team, Matazo made his first-team debut at the club in 2021, shortly after a loan spell at Chambly-Thelle.

However, he returned back to 2nd team action shortly after before a loan move to Ligue 2 team RC Lens in 2022 where he became a key part in their squad. Upon his return to the south coast, he became an intermittent player at Monaco last season.

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Bordeaux’s second move for a midfielder came as Conor McDonald activated Partizan’s release clause of €2.8million for attacking midfielder Lazar Pavlovic.

The Serbian 23-year-old came through the ranks at Partizan, becoming a regular player by 2022.

His particular talent from set-pieces made a name for him over in his homeland, with tremendous technique in his free-kicks and corner taking over the years.

Upon joining Bordeaux, he is expected to fight for his spot with current number 10 Brahim Díaz.

Wingers

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Being the only player arriving this summer not to be immediately involved in the first-team, Chris Knight is expected to become a big player over the next few years in France as he joins for a €400,000 fee from Le Havre.

In his short time at the academy, he played one game for Le Havre last season, making two assists on his debut as well as impressing in youth games.

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The signing of Filip Stevanovic from Partizan was Conor McDonald’s first signing from the club, with Pavlovic becoming his second. The left-winger joins for a fee of €2.7million – his release clause at Partizan.

As a 17-year-old, Stevanovic forced his way into Partizan’s first-team before becoming a vital part of the team. As a result of his first-team play for the Serbian champions, Stevanovic broke into the Serbian national team last year and has made five caps in that time.

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McDonald’s second signing for the wing-play was the €1.5million deal taking Gerson Sousa from Benfica to Bordeaux.

The right-winger started his career with Benfica and made his name in their “B” Team before a loan move to 2. Bundesliga outfit Erzgebirge Aue in 2022. He made 15 appearances for them before returning as a first-team option for Benfica, making 15 appearances and scoring 5 goals for his boyhood team.

Despite his involvement in the first-team setup at Benfica, he was loaned out again in January 2023 to fellow Liga NOS team Desportivo de Aves for six months.

In 2024, he did not come back into the Benfica first-team, instead being loaned out again to another Liga NOS club in FC Famalicao where he impressed. He was transfer-listed this summer as Benfica realised that it was time that Sousa should be getting first-team football but he couldn’t cut it.

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Bordeaux’s last move for a winger was made when Frosinone Calcio’s relegation clause for Myziane Maolida was activated, bringing the Frenchman to Matmut Atlantique for a fee of €2.4million.

The former France Under-21 international started out at Lyon, making 13 appearances for them in the league in the 2017/18 season before a €10million transfer to fellow Ligue 1 side OGC Nice.

Maolida spent five seasons at Nice, making himself a regular face in the starting lineup. However, his time was up in 2023, making his way to Serie A side Frosinone for just under €1million where Maolida was relegated that same season.

In Serie B, Maolida made 36 league appearances and scored 8 goals from left-wing but his relegation clause was still active in his contract.

Strikers

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With Danylo Sikan and Andrea Favili already at the club, McDonald brought in Borja Garcés for a fee of €675,000 from Burnley as a third option up-front.

The striker came through Atlético Madrid’s academy and was sensational for their “B” Team in 2022/23, scoring 19 goals in 32 games competitively. However, this was not enough to secure a new contract at Metropolitano de Madrid as he signed for Premier League outfit Burnley on a free transfer in 2023.

Despite looking promising from early stages in Madrid, Garcés could never make himself a first-team player as he only managed to play 6 games for Burnley over two years, leading to his transfer listing.

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tedbro20: Thank you, we've made a fair bit of movement!
Griffo: Conor has landed.
Scott: I'm just as happy, I've never given French football much of a go in the past!
James: One for home, one for away The transfer window has been shrewd I would say, with not much money going on individual players, much rather team-wide changes.