LOSC Lille – Get French Football News

PROFILE | Lucas Chevalier, once Mike Maignan’s understudy at Lille, ready to challenge for the France No.1 jersey

Luke Entwistle — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 12:20:00 +0000

As Mike Maignan continues to grow into his new role as France’s No.1, the queue of talented youngsters lining up to replace him at some point continues to grow. Among them is Maignan’s former understudy at Lille OSC, Lucas Chevalier.

It was during this loan spell for the 2020-2021 season that Chevalier began to make a name for himself as a goalkeeper of real talent, keeping an impressive nine clean sheets in 30 matches for a club that finished a lowly 16th in the table.

He returned to Lille for the beginning of last season, which he began on the bench before Paulo Fonseca decided to throw him in at the deep end, handing him his debut at the Velodrome in September 2022.

Chevalier ended the season with 10 clean sheets in 32 matches, the 2023 half of the campaign yielding six clean sheets from 22 with 21 goals conceded.

Chevalier embodies the modern keeper

After representing France’s U21s in the summer’s European Championship he has continued to improve during the first half of this season. In Lille’s 17 Ligue 1 matches, he has kept a hugely impressive nine clean sheets and conceded only 14, helping make Les Dogues the joint-second-best defence in the league. He has also been between the sticks for four of Lille’s Europa Conference group stage matches as the team has qualified for the knock-out stage.

Although a proven shot-stopper, Chevalier has particularly impressed with his comfort on the ball and his passing, encouraged by Fonseca, whose style very much promotes the keeper as the deepest lying of 11 out-fielders. This of course has its risks but also its rewards: after a mistake against Rennes, Chevalier noted “I have the position of death – I am the player most at risk – but I also find solutions. It’s a double-edged sword.” In 2022-2023 he led the goalkeepers’ table for short passes and only Gianluigi Donnarumma made fewer long passes per match – a factor in Lille completing the season with the second-highest possession percentage in Ligue 1.

Although he still sees himself as the stereotypical goalkeeper with a “mad side” to him, his vision of the game has now expanded: “My role is to provoke the opposition’s press, as behind every goalkeeper who breaks position, a space opens up for a teammate and a pass becomes available. I find solutions in risky areas and it’s as satisfying as it can be nerve-wracking. But each time I have the ball at my feet, I try to make something special happen.” For Lille and maybe soon for France, Chevalier is a keeper!

GFFN | Jeremy Smith

Juventus, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid battle to sign Lille’s Tiago Djalo

Luke Entwistle — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 14:08:59 +0000

Tiago Djalo (23) has just six months remaining on his contract with Lille OSC, and naturally, some of the giants of European football are circling, according to Foot Mercato.

Djalo hasn’t featured since March following an ACL injury. It had been thought that Djalo, whose contract with Lille expires at the end of the season, could have played his final game for the club. However, according to Foot Mercato, that may not be the case.

Whilst Djalo is expected to move on, perhaps as soon as January, he could be loaned back to Lille. Foot Mercato report that the Portuguese centre-back is in talks with another club. Juventus, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid have all been cited as interested parties. The likelihood is that the player would be bought in January before being loaned back to Lille for the rest of the season.

The deal would allow Djalo to regain fitness with Les Dogues, help the club achieve their objective of achieving European football, and also garner a transfer fee for a player who will soon be out of contract.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Lille target Ajax’s Chuba Akpom

Alfred Lalande — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 20:10:47 +0000

According to Foot Mercato, LOSC Lille have added Ajax Amsterdam’s Chuba Akpom (28) to their shortlist of players targeted to sign as an alternative to Jonathan David (23), who is currently the only striker at the club.

The Canadian is having a difficult season for Lille in terms of finishing, only scoring five goals in Ligue 1, and often replaced by a repositioned Yusuf Yazici (26). On the other hand, Akpom had a difficult start to his time in the Eredivisie, though he slowly came to life, scoring eight goals in Ajax’s last 12 games. He had joined the Amsterdam side during the summer off the back of an exhilarating 22/23 season, during which he had scored 29 goals in 42 appearances, choosing them ahead of RC Lens who were also after his services in order to replace the departing Loïs Openda (23).

Lille want Akpom on loan

Les Dogues are reportedly looking to sign the striker on a loan as they aim to satisfy head coach Paulo Fonseca, who publicly asked for a new striker following his side’s defeat against Strasbourg in the last gameweek.

Ex-Girondins de Bordeaux and current Southampton player Sékou Mara (21) is also reported as being one of the players being eyed by the Lille board.

GFFN | Alfred Lalande

Lille set to swoop in on Lyon target Largie Ramazani

Alfred Lalande — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 17:10:44 +0000

According to Foot Mercato, Olympique Lyonnais and LOSC Lille are set for a negotiation battle to attract UD Almería winger Largie Ramazani (22) into their ranks.

Lyon were reportedly already after the Belgian during the summer, in order to replace PSG-bound Bradley Barcola (21), though they had opted for Ernest Nuamah (20) instead. However, the ex-FC Nordsjælland player will most probably be participating in the upcoming AFCON with Ghana, and will therefore miss the start of 2024 with Les Gones.

Lille also interested in Ramazani

Lyon are consequently once again after a winger, with the Belgian among the top candidates. They could face strong competition from equally-interested Lille, who have added Ramazani to their shortlist for the winter window. Les Dogues are reportedly looking to strengthen their offensive sector, in order to reach their European ambitions at the end of the season, and have entered contact with Almería to sign their 22-year-old winger.

Ramazani made 18 appearances in La Liga this season, scoring two goals and offering four assists. He has proven to be a valuable asset, being versatile across the attack and bringing verticality and technical prowess to an overall struggling Almería side. He is valued at €6 million by Transfermarkt, though his future fee could be far beyond that, considering the amount of clubs interested in his signing.

GFFN | Alfred Lalande

PROFILE | Age prevents Benjamin André’s worth being recognised

Luke Entwistle — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 11:55:00 +0000

Age is often a determining factor when assessing a player’s worth. Many think young players with raw ability should explode into Ballon d’Or contenders any day, while the potential of players in the second half of their twenties is readily written off. This is, usually, naive. And Lille midfielder Benjamin André is proof.

Potential is a speculative concept, it generates hype and, often wildly, inflates value. Evidence of such an implied worth is, by its very nature, thin. Although the potential of players under 23 is feverishly discussed, it’s dismissed when assessing anyone over 25. In an age when most clubs invest heavily in analytics and ways in which to maximize their resources, it’s a surprise the usefulness of “older” players hasn’t been exploited more.

The resale value of younger players is of course a major factor but genuine on-field success breeds praise, interest and income regardless of a side’s age profile. Chelsea’s recent, and so far failed, attempts to build more of a stock portfolio than a football team shows some sort of balance is needed as does the late blossoming of club great Frank Lampard. Lampard didn’t make his Chelsea debut until the age of 23, having developed in a more conducive environment at West Ham.

André – a Ligue 1 & Coupe de France-winning captain

Recent Ligue 1 history is full of players who have developed in a similarly considered manner only to be undervalued once into their mid-to-late-twenties. Former Nice and Montpellier striker Andy Delort’s early career meandered through Wigan and Tours before a breakthrough season with Caen as he turned 24. Montpellier talisman Teji Savanier only made his Ligue 1 debut at 26 but quickly became one of the league’s premier performers. Rennes forward Martin Terrier didn’t truly find form until his 21-goal campaign in 2021/22 at 24.

These players, and many more besides, saw comparatively little interest in the early years but have become hugely effective Ligue 1 players who could have, Terrier still might, moved onwards and upwards. This is André’s eighth consecutive appearance in the GFFN 100, the first of those came in 2016 at the age of 26 and has since captained Coupe de France and Ligue 1 winning teams.

Born in Nice, André eventually emerged from Corsican club Ajaccio’s youth system before six seasons as a senior at Stade François Coty, playing the final three in Ligue 1. A stalwart throughout, aside from a patchy 12/13 campaign as part of a strong midfield group, André impressed despite Ajaccio finishing bottom in 2014. Capable of playing on the right of midfield at the time, his nine goals and assists that season remains the best of his career and piqued Rennes’ interest, resulting in a free transfer that summer as André turned 24.

SFRC, who initially considered the player for a full-back role, were largely an underachieving mid-table club during André’s five years in Brittany, finishing 9th, 8th, 9th, 5th and 10th but André, having ironed out some wrinkles in his game, eventually became a quietly influential leader thanks to his astute use of the ball, unerring consistency and defensive acumen. André remains a wholly unspectacular but fiercely effective performer.

By the age of 26, André had settled in at Rennes, ranking 74th in the GFFN 100 for 2016 with our team praising his defensive work, neat passing and burgeoning quality from deadballs but bemoaning his tendency to be booked. For 2017 André jumped 51 places to 23rd on our list as his ‘stature continued to grow’ amid fleeting interest from Liverpool while becoming ‘one of the best holding midfielders in Ligue 1,’ again standing out in an underperforming side.

The 2017 report asked ‘how far can he go?’ The answer was both everywhere and nowhere. Having held steady at 24th in 2018 after another quietly effective year, André would captain Rennes to the 2019 Coupe de France title, beating PSG on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw. The then 28-year-old drew a characteristically understated six out of ten from L’Equipe who pointed to a rare André error, losing possession which created a first-half chance for Kylian Mbappe. The paper, however, praised his use of the ball after the break and his defensive work.

An ‘Opta player’

Despite Rennes’ triumph, an €8m move to Lille was a significant jump at the time, Les Dogues had finished nine places above SFRC as runners-up in 2019. André’s ensuring Champions League adventure only underlined his quality, scoring twice as Lille fell in the group stages. André continued to climb the 100 too, placing 16th that year and then 13th in 2020, our team labeling him an “Opta player” such was his statistical performance.

The Frenchman’s numbers have always impressed. According to FBRef, André has made Ligue 1’s top nine for tackles won every year since the 2016/17 campaign, leading the league in 21/22 and 22/23 and also pacing second across Europe’s ‘Big 5’ divisions in those years. André made France’s most passes into the first third last season, having often made the top team for this and the progressive passing metric in recent campaigns, while making the aerials won list in five of the last seven seasons. His 187 aerial duels won in 17/18 was the most in France – impressive for a 1.80m central midfielder.

André’s zenith came in 2021 as he gloriously led Lille to a shock Ligue 1 title, pushing the then 31-year-old up to a career-high fifth in the 100 as our team praised ‘Lille’s locomotive’ for his ‘battling mentality’ and his ‘hounding and hustling’. Only beaten by Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Lucas Paqueta and champion Seko Fofana, so commanding, consistent and precise was André as Lille won the league that he could have topped the list in other years.

Lille’s torrid title defence contributed to André, at 32, dropping outside the top 25 for the first time since 2016, falling to 51st last year, but 2023 has only reaffirmed André’s enduring quality and poise. The veteran midfielder remains in Ligue 1’s top 10 for tackles (4th) and aerials won (7th) this season while his experience, leadership and midfield ruthlessness have been key in leading a new Lille generation back toward the league’s summit.

Now 33, André’s career boasts many highs as well as scores of low-key but outstanding performances. Looking back, he will be proud. Others, however, will rue a missed opportunity.

GFFN | Adam White

Jesse Lingard offered to Ligue 1 clubs amid interest from Saudi Arabia and MLS teams

Bastien Cheval — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 11:54:17 +0000

Former Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard (31) has been offered to several Ligue 1 clubs, including Paulo Fonseca’s Lille OSC, according to a report this Monday from Foot Mercato. The England international is currently a free agent following the expiry of his one-year contract with Nottingham Forest last July.

Last September, Lingard joined Saudi Arabia and Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq for a one-month training stint. However, the Saudi Arabia outfit could not offer him a contract, given Al-Ettifaq already reached the maximum number of foreign players in their squad, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and former Lyon striker Moussa Dembélé joining the Dammam-based outfit last summer.

MLS is Lingard’s likeliest destination

After turning 31 ten days ago, Lingard has no intention of hanging up his boots just yet. Foot Mercato understands that Lille OSC, who plan to lure a striker, is one of the three Ligue 1 clubs Lingard was offered to. Unfortunately, as an English national, the Manchester United youth product is considered as “extracommunautarian” since Brexit for Ligue 1 clubs. Every French top-flight team can register up to four players coming from non-EU states or countries without cooperation agreement with the EU. An overwhelming majority of Ligue 1 clubs have reached the quota.

The outlet understands that Ligue 1 and the Saudi Pro League are options being considered by Lingard. However, Foot Mercato adds that joining the United States’ MLS is the most plausible outcome for the former Red Devil.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

PROFILE | Rémy Cabella enjoying surprising renaissance in his twilight years

Luke Entwistle — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 16:20:00 +0000

Remy Cabella’s renaissance has become one of Ligue 1’s more surprising subplots of 2023. A stuttering spell at Saint-Etienne ended in 2019 due to an unexpected, but lucrative, move to Russian club Krasnodar just as the former Newcastle, Marseille and Montpellier man was starting to find some semblance of consistency.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Cabella returned to Ligue 1 in 2023 for a five-game spell with his formative club Montpellier. Having passed 30, his 2012 title-winning peak and four France caps in 2014 long gone, Cabella, although admittedly not match fit, appeared to have been surpassed by a newly dynamic, youthful cohort. His career, it seemed, would wind down.

A free transfer to Lille in the summer of 2022 could easily have been brief and uneventful, perhaps drawing parallels with the club’s unsuccessful attempt to rehabilitate Hatem Ben Arfa the season before. Cabella, however, returned to France looking lean and enthused while displaying an on-field verve not seen for nearly a decade.

A new look Lille, under incoming coach Paulo Fonseca, impressed with Cabella leading the charge. According to FBRef, Cabella made more key passes in Ligue 1 than anyone last season while his 181 short-creating actions placed him third for that metric among Europe’s ‘Big 5’ leagues. Only Lionel Messi offered more than the Frenchman’s 12.1 expected assists in France.

An output of seven goals and ten assists across 32 league outings proved more than useful as Lille finished 5th. That, however, proved to be an underperformance from Les Dogues, one in which Cabella was more complicit than was obvious as individual mistakes cost Lille. Most obviously in defence, giving up key goals at key times too often, but chances were also missed at the other end.

Cabella lacking in statistics this season

Cabella was often to blame and it’s a trend that has continued into the new campaign. Without a league goal by mid-December, Cabella had, by that point, underperformed his expected goals by 4.7 since returning to France full-time in 2022. Just one assist by that point this term also disappointed.

Now 33, and perhaps finally entering the true twilight of his career despite his LOSC rejuvenation, Cabella still comfortably deserves his place in this year’s GFFN 100. His leadership continued relative intensity and creativity in all areas of the pitch remain key for Fonseca, a fact underlined by his presence, at the time of writing, in the league’s top eight for goal- and shot-creating actions per 90, xA per 90 and key passes this term.

Cabella has flaws but his Lille sojourn has become his most impressive since leaving Montpellier in 2014. The real disappointment is that fans of Marseille, Newcastle and Saint-Etienne didn’t see this version of the attacking midfielder more often in what should have been his prime years.

GFFN | Adam White

Lille planning to sign a forward to compliment Jonathan David, Southampton’s Sékou Mara considered

Liam Wraith — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 14:55:57 +0000

According to L’Équipe, Lille want to recruit a versatile forward to compliment Jonathan David (24) in the January transfer window with Sékou Mara (21) being considered. Paulo Fonseca was keen for Les Dogues to reinforce their attacking options in the summer transfer window with the idea of complimenting the Canadian international but no attacking reinforcement arrived.

This failure to sign an attacker in the summer window has made it one of Lille’s top priorities in the winter transfer window. Lille had previously considered Almeria’s Largie Ramazani (22) and Southampton’s Sékou Mara (21) for the role. Mara is still considered for the the January window but at this stage only information has been gathered on the former Bordeaux striker’s current situation on the South coast.

A potential departure for Jonathan David?

Despite an initial poor run of form from Jonathan David at the start of the 2023/24 season, interest in the Canadian international forward has not wavered. As reported by La Gazetta dello Sport, AC Milan have shown interest in the former Genk striker. According to L’Équipe, a January exit for David cannot be ruled out.

GFFN | Liam Wraith

Tiago Djalo expected to leave Lille in January with Juventus and Atlético Madrid interested

Liam Wraith — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 14:35:59 +0000

According to L’Équipe, Tiago Djalo (23) is expected to leave Lille in the January transfer window. The Portuguese defender’s contract at the Stade Pierre Mauroy is set to expire in June 2024 and Les Dogues would prefer to cash in during the winter window rather than allow him to leave on a free transfer.

Despite Lille’s resistance to let the former Portugal U21 international leave on a free transfer, Inter Milan have shown a strong interest in signing the defender on a free transfer, according to Fabrizio Romano. Djalo is yet to feature in a competitive match for Lille in the 2023/24 season following rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in March 2023.

Juventus and Atlético Madrid interested

Atlético Madrid and Juventus, as well as Inter, are all interested in signing Tiago Djalo from Lille, according to L’Équipe. No club has yet made an official bid for the 23-year-old but with many clubs among Europe’s elite interested in Djalo’s services all signs point towards a move away from Lille.

GFFN | Liam Wraith

Christophe Galtier acquitted following racism allegations

Liam Wraith — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 13:31:45 +0000

Christophe Galtier has been officially acquitted of racism allegations by a court in Nice today, as reported by RMC Sport. The former PSG manager was accused of harassment and racism mainly against Muslim players during his time as coach of OGC Nice. The Al-Duhail manager was first accused of the allegations in April 2023 when an email sent to Julien Fournier in May 2022 surfaced.

The prosecution ordered for a 12 month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 fine as punishment should he have been found guilty of the allegations. However, the final verdict from the Nice court has seen the former Lille boss acquitted.

A fractious relationship with Fournier

During the trial, several officials from Nice and INEOS spoke about the irreparable relationship that had formed between Julien Fournier and Christophe Galtier in the time at Nice. Although, several players who were interviewed spoke of a discriminatory climate.

The former Nice boss was accused of racism when he referred to two black opposition defenders as “King Kong”. However, the French manager also relayed to a previous time where he used the same description to describe Nicolas Pallois of Nantes and claimed that the comments were made as a notion of “strength and power” and “not race”.

GFFN | Liam Wraith