Moneyball scouting part 3 - Ligue 2
Ligue 2 isn't exactly a secret in football. France has a glut of talented players, there are only two fully professional leagues, and the talent is arguably more distributed than in other countries.
The success of Guendouzi with Arsenal has shown it is possible for players to move straight from this league into the Premier League.
Brentford, in particular, has benefitted from keeping a close eye on Ligue 2 with top scorer Neal Maupay and hattrick scorer at the weekend Said Benrahma both recruited from the division.
The French leagues are particularly good at giving younger players playing opportunities.
123 players aged 20 or younger have played in Ligue 1 and 2 so far this season compared to 74 in the top two English divisions.
This could be a reflection on greater talent in France or simply that clubs have less money to buy in players and rely more on youth development. Either way, there are a lot of young players getting minutes in a competitive league.
In keeping with the "Moneyball" theme of these articles, I'm going to put a caveat on my picks from this league. I'm looking for players who were sought after but have had a blip in their development. This could be due to injury, poor form, coaching changes, or big moves gone wrong.
Someone like Neal Maupay would have fitted into this category as he was a highly regarded youngster who had to step down a division to rebuild his reputation.
Most of these players are also from the bottom few teams in the league, faced with relegation into the third tier, or have expiring contracts. I'm looking for potential bargains, not just the best players in the division.
Players
AS Nancy are in danger of relegation to the third tier for the first time in their history. It has been a season where little has gone right for them. The team was tipped for promotion, particularly with a midfield made up of France U20 midfielder Abou Ba (20) and Moroccan youth international Amine Bassi (21).
A £2m deal for Ba with Fiorentina fell through in the summer, along with a £3m move for Bassi to the MLS. Ba plays the ball-winning role with Bassi the creator.
The season has been a disaster, particularly for Bassi who struggled hugely in an ultra defensive team (who at one point averaged one goal every 4 games and sat bottom of the league). Alain Perrin, of Portsmouth fame, has come in and the team are now clicking again with Bassi scoring twice in his last match.
Neither player will want to play third tier football. They should survive this season but with Ba only having a contract until 2020 both players should be available to move this summer.
Also just outside the relegation zone are Sochaux. Another club famed for their youth system. The obvious name from their team is Lucien Agoume, a 17 year old midfielder wanted by every club in Europe. But a different player, once too a highly regarded youngster is Jeando Fuchs (21). The Cameroonian midfielder came through the youth system and played alongside Mbappe whilst winning the Euro U19 representing France. He was on the verge of signing for Deportivo Alves this winter, after interest from Hamburg and Club Brugge. He rejected the move and subsequently broke his foot putting him out for the next 3 months. In the summer he'll only have 12 months left on his deal and could represent a bargain buy for an all action defensive midfielder.
Valenciennes have several promising youngsters on their books, but the two that look the most promising are on loan from Guingamp. Defender Sikou Niakate and attacker Nathael Julan (22). Of the two only Julan fits my criteria for this article. Julan is a very interesting attacker, he is 6ft5" tall but fast with good dribbling technique. He reminds me of John Carew stylistically. 18 months ago he had lots of Premier League and Championship interest after breaking through at Le Havre, prolific in the youth system and scoring several excellent goals for the first team. He took the sensible move and joined Guingamp, staying close to home and joining a Ligue 1 club. It hasn't worked out yet and he found playing time hard to come by. With Guingamp bottom of the league it may be he ends up getting some games for them in Ligue 2 but otherwise, his style could really suit the Championship.
And finally, out of a bumper crop of young centre backs I'll mention Harold Moukoudi (21) of Le Havre. A powerful player, absolutely awesome in the air in both boxes (FAO Marcel Brands). A French youth international linked with moves last summer to clubs all around Europe. With a contract that expires at the end of the season, he will be available, the problem being that the club is now refusing to play him due to this dispute.
There are so many more players I could mention, particularly at Lorient and RC Lens, and even going into the third tier. France is particularly interesting as the types of players it produces in abundance, defensive midfielders and centre backs are areas I feel we are relatively weak at producing in the UK.
The success of Guendouzi with Arsenal has shown it is possible for players to move straight from this league into the Premier League.
Brentford, in particular, has benefitted from keeping a close eye on Ligue 2 with top scorer Neal Maupay and hattrick scorer at the weekend Said Benrahma both recruited from the division.
The French leagues are particularly good at giving younger players playing opportunities.
123 players aged 20 or younger have played in Ligue 1 and 2 so far this season compared to 74 in the top two English divisions.
This could be a reflection on greater talent in France or simply that clubs have less money to buy in players and rely more on youth development. Either way, there are a lot of young players getting minutes in a competitive league.
In keeping with the "Moneyball" theme of these articles, I'm going to put a caveat on my picks from this league. I'm looking for players who were sought after but have had a blip in their development. This could be due to injury, poor form, coaching changes, or big moves gone wrong.
Someone like Neal Maupay would have fitted into this category as he was a highly regarded youngster who had to step down a division to rebuild his reputation.
Most of these players are also from the bottom few teams in the league, faced with relegation into the third tier, or have expiring contracts. I'm looking for potential bargains, not just the best players in the division.
Players
AS Nancy are in danger of relegation to the third tier for the first time in their history. It has been a season where little has gone right for them. The team was tipped for promotion, particularly with a midfield made up of France U20 midfielder Abou Ba (20) and Moroccan youth international Amine Bassi (21).
A £2m deal for Ba with Fiorentina fell through in the summer, along with a £3m move for Bassi to the MLS. Ba plays the ball-winning role with Bassi the creator.
The season has been a disaster, particularly for Bassi who struggled hugely in an ultra defensive team (who at one point averaged one goal every 4 games and sat bottom of the league). Alain Perrin, of Portsmouth fame, has come in and the team are now clicking again with Bassi scoring twice in his last match.
Neither player will want to play third tier football. They should survive this season but with Ba only having a contract until 2020 both players should be available to move this summer.
Also just outside the relegation zone are Sochaux. Another club famed for their youth system. The obvious name from their team is Lucien Agoume, a 17 year old midfielder wanted by every club in Europe. But a different player, once too a highly regarded youngster is Jeando Fuchs (21). The Cameroonian midfielder came through the youth system and played alongside Mbappe whilst winning the Euro U19 representing France. He was on the verge of signing for Deportivo Alves this winter, after interest from Hamburg and Club Brugge. He rejected the move and subsequently broke his foot putting him out for the next 3 months. In the summer he'll only have 12 months left on his deal and could represent a bargain buy for an all action defensive midfielder.
Valenciennes have several promising youngsters on their books, but the two that look the most promising are on loan from Guingamp. Defender Sikou Niakate and attacker Nathael Julan (22). Of the two only Julan fits my criteria for this article. Julan is a very interesting attacker, he is 6ft5" tall but fast with good dribbling technique. He reminds me of John Carew stylistically. 18 months ago he had lots of Premier League and Championship interest after breaking through at Le Havre, prolific in the youth system and scoring several excellent goals for the first team. He took the sensible move and joined Guingamp, staying close to home and joining a Ligue 1 club. It hasn't worked out yet and he found playing time hard to come by. With Guingamp bottom of the league it may be he ends up getting some games for them in Ligue 2 but otherwise, his style could really suit the Championship.
And finally, out of a bumper crop of young centre backs I'll mention Harold Moukoudi (21) of Le Havre. A powerful player, absolutely awesome in the air in both boxes (FAO Marcel Brands). A French youth international linked with moves last summer to clubs all around Europe. With a contract that expires at the end of the season, he will be available, the problem being that the club is now refusing to play him due to this dispute.
There are so many more players I could mention, particularly at Lorient and RC Lens, and even going into the third tier. France is particularly interesting as the types of players it produces in abundance, defensive midfielders and centre backs are areas I feel we are relatively weak at producing in the UK.
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