New signing Stanis Idumbo, Auxerre trip… AS Monaco press conference ahead of tough AJA match

Two days before a challenging away fixture at Auxerre, AS Monaco introduced their latest signing, Stanis Idumbo, to the press. Flanked by general manager Thiago Scuro and coach Adi Hütter, the 20-year-old Belgian winger spoke for the first time in a red and white shirt.

The goal: to achieve back-to-back wins for the first time this season. After their last-gasp victory against Strasbourg two weeks ago, AS Monaco return to league action. In the midst of preparing for their tricky away trip, the club also took the opportunity to introduce their new signing, Stanis Idumbo.

Idumbo, a swift but deliberate signing

Signed right at the end of the transfer window, Stanis Idumbo has committed to a five-season deal on the Rock.
“Monaco is a big club with real ambition, a club that regularly plays in the Champions League,” said the youngster. “It was the best choice,” he said, adding that he is eager to “bring joy to the fans” and “make a difference on the pitch.”

Born in Melun but raised largely in Belgium, the Under-21 international adds something new to the squad, explained Thiago Scuro: “Stanis is young, very mature, with speed, aggression and the ability to defeat players one-on-one. He’s a different profile to the players we already have.” Coach Adi Hütter echoed the sentiment: “He’s exactly the type of player we were looking for — quick, a risk-taker.”

Tough test at Auxerre

Deprived of their first-choice goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, sidelined for around two months with a knee ligament injury, AS Monaco is placing its trust in Philipp Kohn. Adi Hütter said the latter was “in a good mood. Against Strasbourg he came straight into the game. He’s ready to play.” As a sign of the confidence placed in the Swiss keeper, Thiago Scuro stated that he had never once considered calling on a medical replacement for the position.

On the other hand, it will still take a little more time before Ansu Fati and Paul Pogba return. “Ansu is really very close to the group,” Hütter noted. It will likely still be too soon for Auxerre, but the Spanish winger could be part of the European trip to Bruges. As for Pogba, the club hopes everything will be back on track after the next international break.

Despite the upcoming Champions League group stage opener against Bruges on 18 September, Hütter is keeping his players focused on Ligue 1. “We go game by game. Right now, the full focus is on Auxerre. They’re an interesting opponent with very quick transitions.” The Monaco coach also stressed he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the team’s last two performances.

Clear goals after a positive transfer window

Thiago Scuro gave an overall satisfactory assessment of the summer transfer window, described as the “toughest” since he arrived at AS Monaco. “We managed to keep our key players like Maghnes (Akliouche) and Denis (Zakaria), and we also managed to generate income to maintain the club’s financial stability.” With €103 million in sales, AS Monaco closed the window with the largest net gain in Europe.

For the Champions League, the goals remain ambitious. “We want to get through the qualifying rounds, but we know we’re up against strong teams,” the Austrian coach said. For Hütter, the challenge will be finding the perfect balance between the Champions League and the domestic league, starting this Saturday at 9:05 pm in Auxerre.