When a club like ASM Clermont Auvergne loses two of its key players announced to be leaving well before the end of the season, the question of recruitment changes in nature. Clermont’s 2024 transfer window, extended by the movements already confirmed for 2025-2026 and beyond, outlines a very clear philosophy: they are not looking for a star player; they are building a working collective.
ASM Recruitment Policy: Jean-Claude Pats’ “Anti-Bling-Bling” Line
President Jean-Claude Pats publicly set the framework at the end of summer 2026: Clermont “does not recruit starlets.” This phrase, echoed by Rugbyrama, is not just a communication line. It reflects a structural choice that conditions every recruitment avenue.
In practical terms, this means that the club prioritizes profiles that complement the existing key players rather than bankable names. Recruitment meetings involve Christophe Urios and Aurélien Rougerie, indicating a collegial functioning where the technical staff has direct oversight on signings.
You can follow the transfer rumors at ASM Rugby to gauge the gap between the names circulating and those that ultimately sign: the filter is strict. Profiles that are too media-savvy or too expensive are systematically dismissed in favor of players capable of integrating into a precise playing system.
Jean-Claude Pats has also denounced a “toxic transfer window,” pointing to transfers announced a year in advance. The LNR itself has acknowledged a “real problem” on this issue, showing that Clermont’s position is not isolated but well connected to a fundamental debate in French rugby.
Departures of Montagne and Darricarrère: How Clermont is Preparing for the Transition
The confirmed departures of Montagne and Darricarrère represent the most concrete issue in Clermont’s transfer window. Le Figaro confirmed these future separations as early as September 2026, giving the club time to anticipate.
The management of these departures reveals Urios’ method. Rather than seeking a like-for-like replacement at the same level of notoriety, Clermont is betting on the rise of players already within the squad. A prop from the training center has been identified to gain experience without any external recruitment blocking their path.
The Case of Darricarrère
The departure of Darricarrère, a professional center, poses a replacement issue at a position where versatile profiles are rare on the market. Opinions vary on the internal pool’s ability to absorb this loss, but management seems to be betting on squad depth rather than a single transfer.
Super Rugby Recruitment: The New Clermont Channel
The least commented angle of the ASM transfer window, yet the most structuring, concerns the shift towards profiles from Super Rugby. Clermont has recruited at least three players from the Southern Hemisphere in recent seasons, with particular attention paid to back row players.
This choice is not trivial. Players trained in the New Zealand or Australian systems bring specific qualities:
- An ability to play on the ground and contest for the ball that is above the average in Top 14, linked to different training rules in Super Rugby
- A familiarity with movement play and continuity after contact, which aligns with Urios’ game plan
- A relationship with the collective that is often more natural, as these players have evolved in systems where hierarchy is less marked by salary
This channel also allows Clermont to recruit at salary levels compatible with the “anti-bling-bling” policy. A Super Rugby flanker costs significantly less than a French international at the end of their contract, for a level of performance that is sometimes equivalent in the fundamentals of the position.
ASM Contract Extensions: Signals to Watch
The transfer window is not just about arrivals and departures. Extensions often tell more about a club’s strategy. In Clermont, the signing of the first official extension (that of Hemery, confirmed by Quinze Mondial) was long awaited, while several key players were still in limbo.
Here’s what can be noted from the confirmed movements for the 2024-2025 season according to compiled data:
- Eleven arrivals officially confirmed, mainly young profiles or those from foreign leagues
- Thirty-eight departures in total, a figure that reflects a massive renewal of the squad
- Twelve extensions confirmed, focused on players identified as pillars of the medium-term project
The imbalance between departures and arrivals (more than three times as many exits as entries) confirms a desire to reduce the size of the squad to better value the remaining players. This is far from a panic transfer window: it is a methodical restructuring, led by a duo of Urios-Rougerie that seems aligned with President Pats’ objectives.
The next transfer window will reveal whether this strategy holds up against sporting results. For now, the club stands by its choices without seeking to reassure with flashy names. It is a bet on coherence, not on spectacle.
