Author: DELEITURAS

This is the latest feature in our series counting down French football’s 20 hottest properties, those most likely to feature in elite clubs’ 2023 transfer plans. Look out for the next player tomorrow and follow the run down in full here on GFFN.

“We were at the dinner table and he’s come around speaking to everyone. He then looks at me and says: ‘I’m fucked with you!’” This was Angel Gomes’ cruel introduction to life at Manchester United under Jose Mourinho. Although such psychological ploys served the Portuguese coach well at the peak of his powers, the Special One wasn’t getting through to a then 17-year-old Gomes. “I was only young, so in my head, I was thinking: ‘Fuck, he hates me.’ I went back to my room and rang my dad. I was nearly crying.”

The Englishman has Mourinho to thank for handing him his United debut at the age of 16, coming on to replace his idol and United captain Wayne Rooney, but this was an outlier in a hopeless attempt to establish himself in a Manchester United team full of over-hyped and overpaid star names. His first team appearances were limited, a trend that didn’t change during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign.

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At the end of his contract in 2020, Gomes was confronted with a decision. Either he could remain at his boyhood club or try and blaze a trail in pastures new. Despite being offered a new deal by United, he chose the latter and has not looked back since. The boy from Salford had not envisaged leaving Manchester so soon but a five-year contract offer from Lille, then under the stewardship of famed sporting director Luís Campos, was too good to turn down.

With minutes in Ligue 1 also likely to be limited, Gomes was loaned out to Portuguese side Boavista to cut his teeth in the Primeira Liga. The move to Portugal had huge historical significance for the Gomes family. Angel’s father, Gil Gomes, was a Portuguese youth international, playing under former United coach Carlos Queiroz. Former Manchester United and Portugal winger Nani is also godfather to Angel through links to Queiroz and Gomes senior.

Registering six goals and six assists in the 2020/21 season at Boavista, the same year his parent club won Ligue 1, the move proved successful for both player and club. Last season, in a heavily revamped Lille outfit, Gomes was deemed old enough and mature enough to feature regularly for Les Dogues. He played 30 times across Ligue 1, domestic cups and Champions League fixtures, scoring in each competition. Finally, having just turned 22, Gomes was reaping the rewards of his decision to leave Manchester.

Compared to other young talents across Europe, Gomes rates highly. Of eligible under-21’s with the most through passes per 90 minutes last season, Gomes ranked fifth with 1.77. For context, this list also featured RB Leipzig’s Joško Gvardiol, Yacine Adli of AC Milan, and Barcelona teenager Pedri. Now often deployed in a deeper central midfielder role, that form has, so far, not been curtailed this term. A strong start to the campaign has seen the Englishman start every game bar suspensions, a fine goal and match-winning display against Montpellier on matchday six was a highlight. With no European football to intensify the calendar, Lille and Gomes can focus on making an impact on Ligue 1 following a disappointing tenth-place position in their title defence.

Having broken into England’s under-21 international fold under manager Lee Carsley, Gomes has become a regular starter alongside the likes of Conor Gallagher and Rhian Brewster, assisting a Brewster goal during the recent friendly against Italy. He shows no lack of ambition and, in a recent interview with SportsBible, he cited ambitions to play at a top club or perhaps make a return to his boyhood team: “I’d love to play for a team in Spain in the future. My ambition is to play for a top club. I’d love to play for United again one day.”

If this prophecy is to be fulfilled, Gomes will need to become more consistent. Bigger clubs in Spain and England will not come calling until he starts to pad his goals and assists tallies. Still only 22, the London-born midfielder has plenty of time to grow, however, which may include continuing to adapt to life in France for a while longer. Pressed on what he misses about his time in England, the simple pleasures sprung to mind: “I don’t know… there’s just something about nipping into Tesco’s,” he says. “I miss going to Sainsbury’s or going to wash my car because I know the people where I go to wash my car.”

For now, an Intermarché in the Hauts-de-France region will have to suffice, as the prodigious English talent finds his way at France’s top table.

Ciarán Brennan

Paris Saint-Germain locked horns with Reims in a Ligue 1 fixture on Saturday. It was expected to be another walk in the park for Christophe Galtier’s men. But with Sergio Ramos receiving marching orders in the 41st minute of the game, PSG lost track of their purpose and looked toothless offensively.

At the end of the ninety minutes, PSG and Reims shared the spoils, courtesy of a 0-0 scoreline. It was not a perfect night for Kylian Mbappé, who was lined up as a focal point in front of Pablo Sarabia and Carlos Soler. In the post-match press conference, Galtier called the French striker an “orphan” without the service of Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Mbappé, frustrated by a lacklustre outing, took the matter to his social media, posting a story via his Instagram handle that included a tag, “#pivotgang”. A report from L’Équipe suggests that the 23-year-old Frenchman used that “pivot” word to exhibit dissatisfaction with his role on the field.

While on international duty with France, Mbappé revealed that he would love to play as a second striker (a role he plays for Didier Deschamps’ side) rather than a centre-forward. Discussing the role, he elaborated:

“I have a lot more freedom here (in the national team). The coach (Deschamps) knows that there is a number 9 like ‘Olive’ (Giroud) who occupies the shields, and I can walk around and go into space, ask for the balls. At PSG, there is not that. I am asked to do the pivot, it is different.”

Despite his Instagram message indicating his displeasure with his current position for the club, PSG have decided against taking any action against the former Monaco striker as they don’t find the message either “insulting” or a “frontal questioning of the choices of Christophe Galtier”. When contacted by L’Équipe, Mbappé’s entourage did not wish to issue a response on this matter.

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At the halfway point, Marseille sit bottom of their Champions League. Their win against 10-man Sporting Lisbon last week kept their dream of qualification alive, but they’ll need to back that up in the return tie on Wednesday. 

Prior to last week’s 4-1 thrashing of Sporting, Marseille had shown two different sides to themselves. The side that was unbeaten in the league, and just two points behind Paris Saint-Germain, was a positive reflection of the early days of Igor Tudor’s reign. However, in European competition, they couldn’t emulate those performances. Despite a battling appearance against Tottenham Hotspur, they came away from London without any points. The larger disappointment was their loss at home against Eintracht Frankfurt. 

However, there was a role reversal last week. The win in the Champions League gave them their first points of the campaign, although it was insufficient to lift them off the bottom of Group D. In Ligue 1, their unbeaten run came to a surprising end with a 2-1 defeat at home to Ajaccio. 

Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Tudor reflected on his side’s chances of qualification: “The group is very strange. The team that won the first two matches (Sporting) lost against the team that lost their first two matches (Marseille). There are three finals, but not just for us, but for everyone. Everything is still possible in this group.” 

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Defeat would leave Marseille with a mountain to climb, although Tudor sought to play down the importance of the tie. “It’s not a question of life and death, it’s a sport. We have to believe in ourselves,” he said. 

The tie will see the returns of Jonathan Clauss and Matteo Guendouzi. The former came of injured in last week’s fixture against Sporting, whilst the latter missed last weekend’s game against Ajaccio. Both are in the squad for gameweek four of the Champions League. Marseille are without more long-term absentee Sead Kolasinac. 

Marseille predicted line-up v Sporting Lisbon 

Lopez – Balerdi, Bailly, Gigot – Tavares, Rongier, Veretout, Clauss – Ünder, Guendouzi, Sanchez. 

Lorient have announced that striker Terem Moffi (23) is set to miss this Sunday’s trip to Troyes due to an ankle sprain picked up during last weekend’s 0-0 draw against Stade de Reims. 

Moffi has been one of the breakout stars for Lorient during this campaign. The Nigerian forward has netted eight times already in Ligue 1 this season, putting him joint third in the goalscorer rankings, tied with Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé (23). 

However, he won’t be able to add to his tally this week. Lorient currently sit second in Ligue 1, just three points behind leaders PSG. They will be looking to keep pace with the Parisian side when they visit Troyes on Sunday, but they will have to do with Moffi. 

The Nigerian striker will certainly miss Sunday’s tie, and in a communiqué, the club added, “the duration of his absence will ve specified in the coming days.” 

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Paris Saint-Germain host Maccabi Haifa in their fifth group-stage match of the Champions League 2022/23 season on Tuesday evening.

According to the print edition of L’Équipe, the game between PSG and Maccabi Haifa has been classified as a risky encounter for the spectator intending to attend the venue. The fans travelling from Israel are also concerned about their hospitality.

Several members of the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP) have previously showcased their support for Palestine over the issues with Israel. On November 23, 2006, PSG were beaten by another Israeli team in Hapoel Tel-Aviv in the UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League) via a 4-2 scoreline.

After the final whistle, Julien Quemener, a PSG supporter, was shot dead by a police officer, who was trying to protect a French Tel-Aviv supporter chased by the Parisien fans.

When PSG locked horns with Maccabi Haifa in Israel, Christophe Galtier’s side salvaged a 3-1 victory despite going 1-0 down early. Now, it’s Maccabi’s turn to visit the French capital in what is expected to be a hostile atmosphere inside the stadium for their players and the fans.

The National Directorate for the Fight against Hooliganism (DNLH) has classified the game as risk level 3 on a scale of 5. Eight CRS (Compagnies républicaines de sécurité) and French Gendarmerie forces will be present if the heat escalates within the Parc des Princes. As far as the reports are concerned, there will be 1,500 supporters on the away end, with 1,000 of them directly travelling from Israel.

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Speaking to Canal Plus, former Paris Saint-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimović (41) says that since his departure from France, the country no longer has anything to talk about. 

The AC Milan forward spent four years at the Parc des Princes from 2012 until 2016, scoring 113 goals in 122 appearances.”Since I left France, everything has gone downhill. There is nothing to talk about anymore in France,” said Ibrahimović. 

He continued, “France needs me, I don’t need France. Even if you have (Kylian) Mbappé, Neymar and (Lionel) Messi, it doesn’t help you because you don’t have God.”

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Since his departure, Ibrahimović has continued to feature in the headlines in France. Most notably, in an interview with L’Équipe, he criticised PSG, accusing them of indiscipline and also stating that he offered himself as a director to the club in the summer of 2021. Only Mbappé and Edinson Cavani have scored more goals for the reigning Ligue 1 champions. 

This is the final feature in our series counting down French football’s 20 hottest properties, those most likely to feature in elite clubs’ 2023 transfer plans. Read every article and see the rundown in full here on GFFN.

Many clubs move in cycles. For some, like Monaco, under vice-president Vadim Vasilyev seeing groups of players on after major success, this was a deliberate strategy. Others use more natural processes of rebuilding, as Sir Alex Ferguson did so expertly at Manchester United. Since QSI bought PSG, however, there’s been one target and one era – escalation. That, however, may soon have to change.

Last summer’s signing of Lionel Messi followed by Kylian Mbappé’s mammoth new contract a year later saw PSG’s largesse peak. Having signed perhaps the greatest player of all time and secured the sport’s current leading light in the medium term, Paris’ ‘Supergalacicos’ policy can go no further. Where else is there to go? The current generation of celebrity strikers are all well into their thirties and, perhaps Mbappé and maybe Erling Haaland aside, the sport lacks genuine replacements as it stands.

Paris’ peak may be short-lived, however. Next summer will be a crucial moment with the futures of both Messi and Mbappé in flux. Messi’s two-year deal in France is up at the end of the campaign and, although talks have opened over a new contract, there’s no guarantee the 35-year-old will stay. The French media meanwhile has been awash with reports Mbappé is regretting his decision to sign that new deal and is targeting a move in 2023.

Although PSG’s Qatari owners will see both players’ continued stay during the Qatar World Cup as a major victory, their exit would still be hugely damaging for the club on and off the pitch. PSG may at last be forced to start a new cycle.

Paris ‘sporting adviser’, Luis Campos, effectively the club’s ideological spearhead, has already told Messi that he wants the Argentine in a PSG shirt next season and is handling contract talks, which are still in their infancy, personally. Messi meanwhile remains coy about his plans. Although, having struggled to settle at first, understandably so having lived in Barcelona since his mid-teens, Messi is now reportedly enjoying life in France and is open to staying for at least one more campaign.

However, Messi’s priority remains the World Cup, likely to be his last, where victory would cement his place as perhaps the sport’s greatest-ever player and no decisions will be made until after the tournament. With the final on December 18th, that means Messi is likely to reach January 1st when he’s able to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club. Barcelona have made no secret of their desire for repatriation, although their financial situation is likely to be prohibitive.

Beyond Qatar, Messi’s only real target is to win the Champions League again. It’s eight seasons since the last of his four titles with Barcelona and, not unlike QSI and PSG, the forward has become increasingly desperate to win it again since. Should Messi stall on a decision until the summer, a PSG Champions League title (they are better placed than ever) could see Messi conclude that his work in Paris, and perhaps European football generally, is done. He’ll be 36 in June and could theoretically take the chance to bow out at the top.

However, some electric recent form proves he’s far from finished and, should Mbappé find a way out of Paris and that record-equalling fifth Champions League (although Real Madrid’s Paco Gento has 6 European Cups) remain elusive, Messi may see another move as best for achieving his goals. With Barcelona not yet in a position to offer a robust challenge, other potential suitors in England could yet make an approach.

Mbappé’s motivations, meanwhile, are far more nebulous. It has been suggested that long-term suitors Real Madrid, for example, fear news over a desire to leave has been transmitted by the player’s advisers as a way of putting pressure on PSG to meet his demands. The 23-year-old was supposedly given new status within the club as part of that new contract last summer, affording the player a say in decision-making and recruitment. Campos’ arrival, for example, was first discussed during contract negotiations, Mbappé being a friend of the sporting director after the pair overlapped at Monaco.

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It’s clear Mbappé wants to play alongside a more traditional number nine rather than being used as the ‘pivot’ forward himself, as eluded to in his now infamous “pivotgang” Instagram post. On duty with France in September the striker explained “different things are asked of me here than in regard to my club. I have a lot more freedom here.” Mbappé also explained he has never asked to leave PSG, a statement neatly worded to avoid saying whether he actually wants to leave or not.

Told to “shut up and know his pace” by Zlatan Ibrahimović this week, Mbappé’s feeling of self-importance is clearly growing. Although his increasingly entitled demeanour is disappointing, being given unprecedented power within your club and the country’s president asking you to not switch jobs for national importance while also signing the most expensive sports contract ever would affect anyone’s ego. Ironically, that gargantuan €630m contract was likely a major reason PSG couldn’t meet Mbappé demands on recruitment this summer.

Given PSG’s form and the strength of Christophe Galtier’s squad, Mbappé’s reported reasons for supposedly seeking a move seem almost laughable but his haughty attitude in recent times suggests that such a thought process is at least possible. In theory, a potential PSG Champions League win could see Mbappé follow a similar path to Messi in that he too would have achieved everything he can at PSG and seek new challenges.

The potential joint departure of both players could equal a crisis for PSG, especially considering that, although Campos has started to make changes, their squad is still built to win now. Without Messi and Mbappé, while many other senior players approach or pass 30, Paris may, at last, be forced to start a new cycle beyond constant escalation. Exactly what that new PSG era looks like remains even more in flux than the future of their star forwards.

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As reported by L’Équipe Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi spoke about his favourites for the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup and has put France, Brazil, and England as head and shoulders above the rest to win the tournament. 

In an interview published by the South American Football Confederation, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner calls for restraint on the ambitions of Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina side – perhaps out of modesty. The former Barcelona man said that France, Brazil and England are “above the rest” in their prospects to win the competition. However, he does back his own side, reaffirming that Argentina posess “a very good team that is very motivated, but we have take it little by little.”

Twice winner of the World Cup (1978, 1986), Argentina won the  Copa America last year and has remained unbeaten since July 2019 – thus their prospects could be considered more seriously in competition with the afore-mentioned teams. Argentina will play against Saudi Arabia on 22nd November, then playing Mexico in an eye-watering fixture on the 26th, whilst finishing off group C against Poland on 30th November. 

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Santi Aouna is reporting that Stade Brestois are in discussions with former FC Metz assistant manager Benoît Tavenot over the managerial vacancy at the club. 

Whilst Red Star manager Habib Beye remains the priority for the Ligue 1 club, the deal has become complicated in the past few days, leading Brest to explore alternatives. According to Aouna, Beye has been Brest sporting director Grégory Lorenzi’s priority for the past weeks, and whilst that remains the case, and Beye himself was open to joining the club, the economic implications of the deal have rendered the move complicated. 

Tavenot has been out of work since leaving Metz at the end of last season. Like manager Frédéric Antonetti, Tavenot left the club following their relegation to Ligue 2. The 45-year-old Frenchman is yet to take his first managerial position, but he could now be offered the opportunity to manage in Ligue 1. 

Michel Der Zakarian was sacked as Brest manager in October, and Brest currently sit in 16th, above the relegation zone only on goal difference. 

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Paris-Normandie report that 33-year-old attacker Gaëtan Charbonnier has requested to leave Ligue 1 outfit Auxerre for French 2nd division strugglers AS Saint Étienne, and hopes that an agreement will be concluded rapidly. AJA would prefer to wait until they find a replacement.

Charbonnier is considered a Ligue 2 specialist, having contributed to the promotions of Auxerre, Brest and Reims.

A deal was very close for Charbonnier to join Ligue 2 leaders Le Havre instead, but ASSE have struck decisively to sway the player in their favour – they are offering him €100k gross a month, plus a €400k relegation survival bonus.

Charbonnier has made just 6 appearances for Auxerre this season, all of them in a secondary, life-injecting attempting role.

Auxerre will not stand in the player’s way, but want to find a replacement and may struggle to do so in a difficult striker market this January – ASSE will also be expected to submit a strong bid, as the player is still under contract until June 2024.

James Thorpe | GFFN

 

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