Ligue 1 | French Football 2017/18

Nice to see people here follow Ligue 1.

I think the level of the league is increasing every year. Now with the arrival of Neymar I hope more people will watch french matchs.
 
I agree, but nobody can deny he scores goals. He seems to need a lot of chances to score.

As a PSG fan, I can tell you that Cavani is a great striker. He's been lacking confidence during some periods, which made him miss a lot of opportunities. But otherwise, when he is in good shape he has huge physical abilities. He seems to never be exhausted, and comes back often to help defending. Also his calls for the balls are amazing, he always finds a way to trick the defenders and create goal chances. He is very cunning.

I would say his only faults are a small lack of technique and that he tends to focus too much on his missed opportunities during the matches (which make him miss the following ones too). Easily top five at his position for me though.
 
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As a PSG fan, I can tell you that Cavani is a great striker. He's been lacking confidence during some periods, which made him miss a lot of opportunities. But otherwise, when he is in good shape he has huge physical abilities. He seems to never be exhausted, and comes back often to help defending. Also his calls for the balls are amazing, he always finds a way to trick the defenders and create goal chances. He is very cunning.

I would say his only faults are a small lack of technique and that he tends to focus too much on his missed opportunities during the matches (which make him miss the following ones too). Easily top five at his position for me though.
I definitely think your team is going to benefit from having Neymar in it. Exciting for you.
 
One of Draxler or Di Maria will have to leave or accept being on the bench. Emery will play Pastore if he stays fit which for some weird reason, I believe he'll stay relatively this season.
 
Never ever bother watching St Étienne, any Ligue 1 viewer would tell you to spare yourself the most boring and depressing team in Europe.
:lol: I was going to say the same thing.
 
Thanks. Was watching the game for Nice, really, but it was so bad.

They do it with every teams even Zlatan admitted that games against ASSE were a pain to play, even though he scored a lot against them. It's an extremely negative team.
 
Maybe there is hope with their new coach but the rot has set for so long, it'll take months to even have a chance to transform them (or he'd be a genius in my book).
Lille was the same but I'm sure Bielsa will make them quite exciting. They also got many more new players than ASSE, that helps.
 
Ecstatic

Have you seen Lille, has Bielsa started to pump the machine?

Let's see if he can make Edgar Ié a central defender, in Portugal no one believes in him because he is 1,80, spineless coaches, all with the same football stereotypes.
 
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@Ecstatic

Have you seen Lille, has Bielsa started to pump the machine?

Let's see if he can make Edgar Ié a central defender, in Portugal no one believes in him because he is 1,80, spineless coaches, all with the same football stereotypes.

I haven't received your alert. When I click on ecstatic in your post, I see the website ecstatic.com with an odd picture :nervous:

Humm, I haven't watch this game but true that Bielsa is interesting and known for his bold choices: for example, when he was in Marseille, he made CB a small FB during the whole season!
 
I haven't received your alert. When I click on ecstatic in your post, I see the website ecstatic.com with an odd picture :nervous:

Humm, I haven't watch this game but true that Bielsa is interesting and known for his bold choices: for example, when he was in Marseille, he made CB a small FB during the whole season!
Thanks, probably a mistake I made, anyway Bielsa will improve Lille.
 
LILLE

Thanks, probably a mistake I made, anyway Bielsa will improve Lille.

Yeah. Exciting times there. But I will follow Edgar who looks promising on paper :drool: Ambitious Lille this season with a new management, a new coach, new recruiters

Official | Lille seal Edgar Ié capture

Former Barcelona B defender Edgar Ié has signed for LOSC for a reported fee of €6m, on a five-year contract.

Edgar started 12 games in Liga NOS with Belenenses last term and cemented a spot in the side towards the end of the campaign.

The 23-year-old was with the Portuguese club for just half a season, and will look to compete for first-team football having played in reserve leagues for the majority of his career. The Portuguese international is well renowned as a centre-back but is adept at playing on the right side of defence too.

Lille CEO Marc Ingla said, “It is a player that I have known since his time with Barca. It’s a great acquisition that fits perfectly into our policy of young talents.”

S.H.

Edgar Ié will join Lille for €6m

Lille have brokered a €6m agreement with Belenenses for the transfer of Portuguese youth international central defender Edgar Ié.

The player will arrive in France on Wednesday with his agent Mr Baldé, according to Foot Mercato, before completing a medical and signing a 5-year contract.

Official | Adam Jakubech is Lille’s latest signing

Lille have completed the signing of 20-year-old goalkeeper Adam Jakubech from Spartak Trnava for around €1m.

Jakubech, who has already made 60 senior appearances, pens a five-year deal with LOSC and joins the ever growing list of recruits under Marcelo Bielsa.

“It is an incredible feeling for me to be Lillois today.” said Jakubech, “LOSC is a great club and I am very happy to be part of it. It is a great experience that is looming. Marcelo Bielsa? He is a great coach and I can not wait to evolve under his command.”

S.H.

Official | Lille sign Thiago Maia for €14m

Highly sought after Brazilian star Thiago Maia has become Marcelo Bielsa’s 4th Brazilian signing of the summer, joining Luiz Araujo, Thiago Mendes and Caju at Lille.

The youngster already has an Olympic gold medal to his name after Brazil’s triumph at the 2016 games as well as being the winner of the Campeonato Paulista during his stint in his native country Brazil. The defensive-midfielder joins the French outfit with a sizeable reputation, turning pro at just 17 as well as having over 100 appearances under his belt at the age of 20.

He told Les Dogues’ official website: “I’ve worked a lot since I was a little boy to be able to one day realise this dream to come and play in Europe. I am very pleased to be able to seize this opportunity. We discussed this at length with my family and thought that the LOSC was the best place to evolve, learn progress. So I’m very proud to be here in Lille today.”

Lille CEO Marc Ingla went on to say that the transfer had been a long time in the making, “We are very pleased to see Thiago join LOSC, a player we have been following for a long time and who was courted by very good clubs. Although he is only 20 years old, he is already a great player, probably one of the best in the Brazilian championship at the moment. He now has to integrate with the region, the club and all the conditions are there for this adaptation to be fast. We expect a lot from him and we are hopeful that he will help the team to move in the right direction.”

A.R.

Lille to sign Santos duo Caju and Thiago Maia

Ligue 1 side Lille are expected to imminently confirm an enormous swoop for Santos duo Thiago Maia and Caju.

Maia, a highly-coveted central defender, had been on PSG’s watchlist as well as that of a multitude of Europe’s top clubs. Lille have agreed a €14m fee with Santos for the 20-year-old, who is set to sign a 5-year-contract.

21-year-old left-back Caju is also expected to join the Marcelo Bielsa project from Brazil, in an initial loan deal.

Official | Boubakary Soumaré quits PSG for Lille
Lille have signed Paris prospect Boubakary Soumaré on a three-year contract.

The 18-year-old midfielder has played 16 times in France’s various youth ranks and also featured in Paris’ UEFA Youth Cup campaign last term.

Soumaré becomes the sixth signing under Marcelo Bielsa’s reign and will hope to learn under the manager, who has a great reputation for aiding young talent.

“Signing here is a huge joy, the achievement of all the efforts made during my years of training. I am committed today with the LOSC, a club which has an interesting project, which trusts young people. I am sure that I will learn a lot,” said Soumaré.

S.H.

Official | Ezequiel Ponce signs for Lille on an initial loan deal
LOSC have struck a deal with Italian club AS Roma to take 20-year-old striker Ezequiel Ponce on loan for the upcoming season, with an option to buy worth €11m at the end of the campaign.

The Argentine, who signed from his homeland in 2014 has struggled to find time in the Giallorossi’s first-team – resulting in loan moves away.

Ponce spent the duration of last term with Spanish outfit Granada and failed to impress, netting just twice in 25 league appearances.

The youngster will certainly hope to revive his promising potential with Lille and said this upon signing, “I am happy to join Lille. I come with great ambition and I intend to give the best of myself. I am also delighted to be part of the team of Marcelo Bielsa who coached in the past with Newell’s, my previous club. He is a coach who has already proved that he knows how to evolve young people like me.”

S.H.



Official | Kévin Malcuit quits St Étienne for Lille for around €8.5m
Lille have completed the signing of St Étienne right-back Kévin Malcuit for a fee believed to be €8.5m. The Frenchman has signed a five-year deal with the club and becomes Lille’s eleventh new recruit this window.

Malcuit impressed last term with ASSE as he made 25 Ligue 1 appearances – recording three assists, he was also a prominent part of the team’s Coupe de Ligue and Europa League campaigns.

The former AS Monaco man said, “I’m happy to be here wearing this shirt, I look forward to being on the pitch and evolving by working with Marcelo Bielsa. He is a great coach known throughout the world, who knows how to develop his players and push them to their limits.”

S.H.



Official | Thiago Mendes joins Lille in €9m deal
Lille have splashed out around €9m on Sao Paolo midfielder Thiago Mendes, who penned a five-year deal with the club.

Mendes, who has spent the duration of his career in his homeland, won Brazil’s second division back in 2012 and also had a hand in Sao Paolo’s Copa Libertadores run last year.

The 25-year-old naturally operates as a defensive-midfielder, but is flexible within roles and could potentially drop back into right-back if necessary.

“Since I was very young, playing in Europe has always been a dream for me. I hope to achieve my goals and win titles under this jersey. I also want to grow individually and collectively, especially with Marcelo Bielsa, who has a very high reputation. I hope to progress alongside him.”

S.H.



Lille have opened discussions with Manchester City for Wilfried Bony
Ligue 1 side Lille have opened discussions with Manchester City for the possible transfer of Ivorian forward Wilfried Bony, according to RMC.

Bony, who is transfer-listed, is soliciting interest from China too.

Official | Kouadio-Yves Dabila joins Lille from Monaco

Young defender Kouadio-Yves Dabila has joined Lille from Monaco on a contract up until 2020.

The 20-year-old made his way through the Monaco youth academy, being apart of the club since 2014, and made his debut for the club in the Coupe de France this past season against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes after he replaced Andrea Raggi for the last half hour of the match.

“The LOSC is one of the great French clubs. It is a great pleasure to join the club and I will define myself as a rather calm central defender who likes to restart play while showing a lot of rigour and concentration. My first goal is to progress and show what I can do,” said the young defender, who is quite keen to join up with the club.

“Yves Dabila is a player with a fairly complete profile, firstly because he has a little experience with the pros, but also because on the pitch he is a serious and sturdy player,” added the CEO of Lille Marc Ingla.

“He is a player of the future who will soon have, I am certain, the opportunity to integrate into the first team of Lille.”

T.S.

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Official | Fode Ballo-Touré picked up by Lille
LOSC have completed the signing of highly-rated Paris youngster Fode Ballo-Touré on a free. The 20-year-old has penned a three-year contract with the club, after his contract with PSG expired today.

The left-back was forced into reserve team football due to the likes of Layvin Kurzawa and Maxwell being prioritised by the club.

During the January transfer window, Ballo-Touré was touted with moves to English sides such as Liverpool and Tottenham – but has now chosen to remain in Ligue 1.

The Frenchman said, “I am happy to be here, I was really well received by the club and my team-mates. My goal is to play and play well especially, to progress with Bielsa and his staff.”

S.H.

Official | Lille complete the signing of Nicolas Pépé

Lille have signed Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pépé from SCO Angers in a deal believed to be worth €8.5million. The 22-year-old joins the club on a five-year-contract which keeps him in Lille until 2022.

Pépé had a breakthrough season with Angers, making 33 Ligue 1 appearances in which he managed to notch up three goals and one assist. He was also a crucial part of the team’s impressive Coupe de France run, playing in all but one game including the crushing final defeat to Paris St-Germain.

Pépé said: “I feel a lot of joy at having signed to LOSC. And today, I’m sure I made the right choice. The coming of Marcelo Bielsa was an important element when making my decision. I am now very excited to work with such a coach.”

S.H.

Lille snatch 16-year-old Théo Herr from Metz

Ligue 1 side Lille continue their aggressive pursuit of some of their rival French first division sides’ best academy players by reaching an agreement to sign 16-year-old Théo Herr from FC Metz, according to Le Républican Lorrain.

Official | Lille sign Luiz Araujo from São Paulo for €10.5m

Lille and Marcelo Bielsa has completed their first signing of the season, signing Brazilian forward Luiz Araujo.

Joining from Brazilian giants Sao Paulo FC, Araujo has been considered by many as one of the best young Brazilian players, making this a potentially great coup for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Araujo has been quite successful at youth level in Brazil, being top scorer in the youth Copa Libertadores and winning the U17 and U20 World Cups. He started his first team career with Sao Paulo as a bench player, coming on late into games and providing a burst of speed and flair to his side.

LOSC General Director Marc Ingla said, “We are pleased to have signed Luiz Araujo, whom we have been trying to sign since January. He has the profile as a left winger who likes to stick by the sidelines and likes to combine power and speed, not forgetting his real qualities in front of the goal.”

“He is a young and spectacular player, who wants to be quickly and successfully integrated into this Lille squad.”

Lille are paying close to €10.5m for the 21-year-old.


Lille strike deal for 16-year-old attacking gem Fadiga Ouattara

Ligue 1 side Lille have reached an agreement with second division club RC Lens for the signing of 16-year-old attacking prospect Fadiga Ouattara, according to L’Équipe.

The U17 Lens man will join LOSC for just €100k.


Lille Sporting Director Luis Campos lays out the club’s transfer policy

Speaking in a press conference this morning, Lille Sporting Director Luis Campos unveiled his plans for the summer transfer window as Gérard Lopez’s project begins to take shape.

“If you are asking me if we want to sign Cavani, the answer is no, that is not our DNA. We do not want to sign Cavani but we want to make the future Cavani. We like developing youngsters. It will be one of our aims for the coming seasons. For me, the most important thing is competence, not age. I know players between the ages of 18 & 23 who are very competent. Look at Ajax… I am in contact every day with Marcelo Bielsa… We have put in place a team of six scouts who are travelling the globe. Each scout works 80% on the French market and 20% abroad. Each scout will look around and consider a different zone and then compare his conclusions with the others. It is essential to compare players to the needs of the club.”

Marcelo Bielsa to begin work at Lille next Monday latest

Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa will begin his job as the new manager of Lille officially on next Monday latest, according to L’Équipe.

El Loco’s return to Ligue 1 is much anticipated. Last Thursday night, Bielsa was in Barcelona where he had a dinner with Lille’s imminent Sporting Director Luis Campos. The following morning, he had breakfast at the Hotel Pullman in company of Campos and owner Gérard Lopez. The three men were then joined by Marc Ingla, the Director General, for a day of work.

Out of respect for Franck Passi, who will be managing his final Lille game on Saturday against Nantes, Bielsa will not publicly become the club’s manager until next week. But he will be at Camphin-en-Pévèle next Monday to oversee four young players in the side’s reserve team that he is taking particular interest in at present. He will also begin to map out his pre-season programme, which is due to begin on the 19th June.

Bielsa will be in the Netherlands this week to supervise a match. Early this Saturday morning he will be in Affligem to participate in a meeting between coaches set up by the URBSFA. He is expected to speak twice for two hours, to present ideas, his style of play and tactics.
 
Former Barcelona B defender Edgar Ié has signed for LOSC for a reported fee of €6m, on a five-year contract.
Same generation as Dier and Ruben Semedo at Sporting Academy, always better for the youth national teams than at a club level, lets see if Bielsa makes him a player.
Highly sought after Brazilian star Thiago Maia has become Marcelo Bielsa’s 4th Brazilian signing of the summer
This one was highly rated at Brazil and Santos.
Lille Sporting Director Luis Campos lays out the club’s transfer policy
Now this one is very interesting, he seems to be turning into a very good Sporting Director, with good things done at Monaco, they invested a lot, but this duo Campos and Bielsa at least for this season can improve Lille, problem with Bielsa is always in the long run.
 
St Étienne reportedly beat Panathinaikos to Gabriel Silva

Ligue 1 side St Étienne have reportedly beaten Greek giants Panathinaikos to the signing of 26-year-old left-back Gabriel Silva of Udinese, according to Le Progrès.

Les Verts could complete as many as three signings today, with Hernani (Zenit) and Alexandros Katranis (Atromitos) expected to also sign for Oscar Garcia’s side.
 
Nice set to make double signing for Allan Saint-Maximin and Christophe Hérelle

OGC Nice are having a busy day in the transfer market. Following a deal with Wesley Sneijder that was announced last night, the club is set complete deals for AS Monaco winger Allan Saint-Maximin and ESTAC Troyes defender Christophe Hérelle in the next 48 hours, according to Nice-Matin.

Allan-Saint Maximin is to join Les Aiglons on a permanent deal from local rivals Monaco, and will undergo a medical today, having already been spotted in Nice today by fans.

Details on the Christophe Hérelle are more sketchy at the moment, but France Football first broke the news last night that Les Aiglons had moved for the player in a major way, information that is now being confirmed by the local newspaper.

Wesley Sneijder to sign 1-year-deal with OGC Nice

Former Dutch international and 33-year-old attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder will undergo a medical with OGC Nice today ahead of signing a one-year contract with the club.

Sneijder was greeted by fans at Nice airport last night after reaching an agreement in principle with Les Aiglons in a move that will see him reunite with former Inter Milan team-mate Mario Balotelli.

Sneijder’s arrival should facilitate Valentin Eysseric’s departure to Fiorentina.
 
Giannelli Imbula has agreed personal terms with AS Monaco

24-year-old French midfielder and Stoke City man Giannelli Imbula has agreed personal terms with AS Monaco ahead of a possible move, according to L’Équipe.

A personal terms agreement was reached last week, and the former Marseille man is now waiting for a deal to be struck between AS Monaco and Stoke City.

After having a loan with option to buy offer rebuffed, Monaco are seeking to bring the Premier League side’s demands down, currently seeking between €15m and €20m in a straight transfer fee.
 
Giannelli Imbula has agreed personal terms with AS Monaco

24-year-old French midfielder and Stoke City man Giannelli Imbula has agreed personal terms with AS Monaco ahead of a possible move, according to L’Équipe.

A personal terms agreement was reached last week, and the former Marseille man is now waiting for a deal to be struck between AS Monaco and Stoke City.

After having a loan with option to buy offer rebuffed, Monaco are seeking to bring the Premier League side’s demands down, currently seeking between €15m and €20m in a straight transfer fee.

That's interesting because he was good for Marseille but the word was that his ankles couldn't fit in the Velodrome. I don't know if it was just Bielsa making him look good or if he really is.
 
The game is stucked in the middle, both defense are in place and the attackers are a bit clumsy.