Téji Savanier is the headline act of Metz's summer, arriving on a free transfer from Montpellier on August 10. The experienced midfielder brings a proven Ligue 1 track record to the Stade Saint-Symphorien, and the fact that Les Grenats secured him without paying a transfer fee makes the deal one of the shrewder pieces of recruitment in the division this summer. In a position where creativity and leadership are at a premium, Savanier gives the coaching staff a ready-made solution.

Metz doubled down in midfield with the free-transfer signing of Nampalys Mendy from Watford on July 31. The Senegalese international carries Premier League experience into the squad, offering the defensive composure and pressing intensity that complement Savanier's more creative profile. Together, the two arrivals represent a wholesale midfield upgrade achieved without a single euro in combined transfer fees — a remarkable piece of business by any standard.

The club also strengthened its longstanding ties with Génération Foot, the celebrated Senegalese academy, by bringing in both Abdourahmane Mbodji and Alassane Sy on August 11. Metz's relationship with the Dakar-based institution is one of the most productive in French football, and this double signing reaffirms their commitment to identifying and nurturing West African talent at the earliest opportunity.

On the fee-paying side of the ledger, Metz moved purposefully. They paid €300,000 to recruit Idris Mohamed from Le Puy Foot on July 24, adding depth and competition in the squad, before making their largest single investment of the window — €1m for Cristian Devenish from Portuguese side AVS Futebol SAD on July 31. The two fee-based deals account for the entire €1.3m outlay, reflecting a focused approach to spending rather than scatter-gun recruitment.

The one significant departure was Gauthier Hein, who completed a €1.7m move to OGC Nice on August 4. That single sale covered all of Metz's transfer expenditure and left the club €400,000 in net profit. Six arrivals, one departure, the books in the black: Metz head into the new campaign with a deeper, more experienced squad and their finances firmly in order.