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The French Ligue 1 may not be as glamorous or popular as the Premier League or La Liga, but it has certainly churned out some of the top stars today – both French and foreign – and is still on the verge of being raided by many clubs, mainly from the Premier League.
Arsenal have signed Olivier Giroud, Chelsea have signed Eden Hazard and are closing in on a deal for César Azpilicueta, while Newcastle have signed Romain Amalfitano. The Magpies were close to signing Mathieu Debuchy only for the deal to collapse and are reportedly looking at Aly Cissokho and not to forget, Ryad Boudebouz was being looked at by Liverpool once upon a time.
Having said that, here are five French talents to watch out for who could make big money moves to Europe’s top clubs in the future:
If you ignore the crazy hairstyles, you’ll find that Montpellier’s 22 year old, Remy Cabella is quite a player. A midfielder by trade, Cabella possesses flair, great off the ball movement, awareness and brilliant dribbling ability.
A regular for the France under 21′s, Cabella filled in for Montpellier star man, Younes Belhanda last season superbly during the latter’s absence due to the African Cup of Nations, ultimately keeping La Paillade’s title challenge going as they won it for the first time in their history.
Having the tendency to be go missing at times however, Cabella is still young and learning and it’s only a matter of time before he moves on to a big club and earns his first French cap at senior level.
Nampalys Mendy.
Labelled the “carbon copy” of Claude Makelele by Monaco club scout Didier Christophe, 20 year old and France youth international, Nampalys Mendy is one of France’s brightest talents.
A regular for Monaco at such a young age, unlike most defensive midfielders, Mendy is very small in stature but his defensive prowess and distribution is simple as well as effective, while he has a reliable style of play which has likened him to Claude Makelele – one of the best defensive midfielders in the game.
While Mendy may not get the deserved recognition as his side play in Ligue 2 of France, he is still destined for great things in the near future and would be vital for any top club.
M’Baye Niang.
A regular for SM Caen from the age of 16, the now 17 year old forward, M’Baye Niang is one of the hottest French prospects today – tall, strong, powerful, versatile, commanding with the ball and possessing the pace to burst down the wings. He may not have the best scoring record but he’s still developing and not exactly in the best team – his goals to shot ratio tells another story as well, scoring 2 goals from just 9 shots last season.
The youngster recently underwent a trial at Arsenal, impressing Arsene Wenger immensely and it’s not every teenager that gets a bid of £5 million from the Arsenal manager which was ultimately rejected.
Niang is now reported to be on AC Milan and Tottenham’s radar – whether he gets game time as a 17 year old is one thing, but this player will be a star in the future.
Clement Grenier (left.)
An under 19 European Championship winner in 2010, Lyon’s 21 year old, Clement Grenier – dubbed the new Kaka – is destined for big things. A French youth international at all levels, the tall, attacking midfielder is highly rated in France – intelligent, a great passer and a deadly set piece taker.
At one point, Grenier even dispatched the highly talented but injury prone, Yoann Gourcuff from the starting lineup at Lyon, proving that he is worthy of being a first team member for one of France’s elite clubs at such a young age.
Having already drawn the interest of Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea and Inter Milan in the past, the Lyon product could be on his way to an even bigger club soon with all due respect to Lyon.
Kurt Zouma.
Saint-Etienne’s 17 year old defender, Kurt Zouma is definitely one to watch out for, potentially being a mainstay for the France national team in the future.
Not only is he huge in stature, but Zouma is composed, pacy and a threat in set pieces, drawing comparisons with France legend, Marcel Desailly.
His talent hasn’t gone unnoticed as recent reports claim the likes of QPR and Juventus are interested in the French defender, ready to offer an approximate fee of £7.5 million. Quite a fee for a 17 year old from France.
