Koné had been expected to make a move in the summer transfer window, with Newcastle United rumoured to be interested in the versatile French midfielder. However, a poor end to the season, followed by an injury while on international duty with the France U21 squad in the summer, put pay to chances of a departure. 

Kalvin Phillips a Manu Koné alternative?

However, Koné has returned to top form since his return in late September. Juventus have been considering a move for many weeks as they look to compensate for the absence of Paul Pogba. Whilst the Serie A side may have made Koné a contract offer, no offer is yet to be submitted to Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Bundesliga side are asking for €35m for the midfielder, whose contract runs until 2026. 

Simultaneously, there are reports that Juventus will step up efforts to sign Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips (28), who would represent a cheaper alternative to Koné. This deal could, therefore, be privileged. However, Juventus aren’t the only interested party. Napoli are also considering a move as they look to invest heavily in January. The reigning Serie A champions have enquired about a move for the France youth international. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

After a brace in the midweek, the French international brought his tally up to 173 goals and confirmed his place as an Atlético legend. However, Griezmann’s road to legendary status has not been without its controversies. His departure to La Liga rivals Barcelona risked ruining his legacy at the club; his plaque outside the stadium was trashed, he was whistled by the fans who once loved him, and many at the club did not have kind words for a player who owed them so much. Club president Enrique Cerezo slammed the forward for “leaving through the backdoor rather than with everyone’s blessing. Players play where they want. If they want to leave, go.”

Griezmann’s Barcelona move risked ruining legacy

Griezmann, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, ultimately made the 120 million euro move to Barcelona, where he went on to spend an unhappy two years between 2019 and 2021. While nobody doubted his ability, he joined the Catalan club during a low point in their history and was never able to integrate into the team, only scoring a total of 22 goals in his two-year spell. 

Griezmann’s career was at a crossroads, and it was time to return home to his beloved colchoneros. Many were opposed to the idea, and Griezmann’s immediate return was hardly a bed of roses. The Frenchman was limited to an average of just 30 minutes a game as Atlético hierarchy wished to reduce Barcelona’s asking price: A two-year loan deal was struck between the two clubs that stipulated that if Griezmann played more than 45 minutes in more than 50% of the games, then Atletico would be contractually bound to pay Barcelona 40m euros to sign him permanently. With the Frenchman’s limited, he was a shadow of his former self.

Griezamann’s return to his former club promised to be short-lived as doubts arose as to whether it was worth bringing him back on a permanent basis, but in stepped Diego Simeone. Griezmann was always Simeone’s man, and after the striker’s replacement, João Félix left for Chelsea on loan after not living up to his price tag at the Wanda Metropolitano, Griezamnn had a chance to redeem himself. After a change in the agreement with Barcelona, Griezmann was again the main man. He didn’t let the opportunity slip and has since been back to his blistering best. He finished the 2022/23 season with 16 goals and 19 assists and has started the new season just as well. 

La Liga title eludes Griezmann

Griezmann has redeemed himself. Despite a shaky start to his second spell at the club, there are few who still hold a grudge against their undeniable legend. Nobody is as repentant as Griezmann about how his first spell with the club ended, and he has always been looking to make amends. Speaking after he equalled the record, the 32-year-old said, “I know people want to hear from me: I am sorry for how I hurt them,” he said. Later, he would add: “I went through that situation because I caused it. I had hurt the club, and the best thing I could do was keep my mouth shut, work hard, and do everything to help the manager.” 

Certainly, it seems he has been forgiven by those at the club, and his spell at Barcelona is water under the bridge. Luis Aragones Junior, the son of the late Aragones, recognised that “some of us were a bit angry with him…there were things that we lifelong Atlético fans did not like,” but that he has since “managed to turn everything around. Now we all recognise him as one of the best players in Atletico Madrid’s history.”

Player and club will be hoping to continue their story as Griezmann still searches for the elusive La Liga title and Atlético Madrid hopes to finally get their hands on the Champions League trophy. 

GFFN | Finn Entwistle

Bought for €40 million during a season where the English club was mired in a struggle to remain in the Premier League, there was an expectation that the record signing was brought in to provide the impetus for survival. 

However, the French forward instead struggled for game time as he became a victim of the club’s instability, when the manager who had championed his signing, Jesse Marsch, was sacked weeks after Rutter made the move. 

The following two managers, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce did not share Marsch’s enthusiasm for the young Frenchman leaving many baffled over what the club had first seen in Rutter to make him their record transfer. 

Rutter came to be written off as a symptom of the state of the club, an illustration of the fundamental mismanagement that had allowed it to slide into a relegation battle. 

Relegation is never a positive outcome, especially dropping out of a league as rich as the Premier League, but it did offer Leeds and Rutter an opportunity for a reset over the summer. 

‘They didn’t see me play!’ 

It looked from the outside as if Rutter’s reset would come in the shape of a transfer away from Leeds. There were interested parties last summer, with Lyon and Borussia Dortmund, reportedly keen on transplanting the forward. 

Despite their efforts, Rutter was notably less willing to leave a place where he had not yet shown his talent, speaking to L’Équipe, the player reflected that ‘I couldn’t leave a club where people hadn’t seen me play, I kept telling myself: “They haven’t seen me play!”’

And with Leeds, turning to the experienced and progressive Daniel Farke to help guide them back to the Premier League, the Frenchman finally found a manager willing to let him play. 

Despite now having a manager who allowed the forward to express himself, the difficulties of the season before had taken their toll on his self-belief. 

It was only until Leeds played Watford in a 3-0 victory marked by a mesmeric performance from the young Frenchman, that Rutter allowed himself to regain what had been missing since his transfer: ‘I had… less confidence for a few months and this match unlocked a lot of things. I said to myself: “Ah, I can still dribble, I can pass?”’ 

Leeds’ great orchestrator

Since that game, Rutter has grown into his role at the heart of the Leeds attack, where the forward has performed as a false nine that looks to create rather than finish chances. A role that takes special advantage of his ability to distribute the ball. 

In twenty-one games, the forward has provided nine assists for his teammates (while also scoring four goals), the joint-highest in the Championship with Leif David (23) and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (25). 

Rutter states to L’Équipe, that this role has been a transition in how he approaches the game, ‘I am more lucid, I take my time to serve my teammates. In my head, it works better: I am more mature in my game, more tactical. My vision of the game has improved. Before, I played like a youngster, I didn’t really look for spaces. Now I watch them a lot and think about the game. 

His performances in England have not gone unnoticed, with Thierry Henry, the manager of the France under-21s, picking Rutter for international duty back in November. The young forward noted, ‘When I arrived, I was a little shocked… “It’s Thierry Henry, after all!” It was a source of pride, I had come a long way. But hey, it’s all well and good to have been called once… You have to make sure you come back.’ 

And if Rutter keeps at this level, it will be hard to imagine a scenario in which he would not be called back to Henry’s squad. A truly remarkable achievement for a player who less than a year ago was considered a record misstep. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Lacroix arrived in the Bundesliga from Sochaux for a €5m fee just over three years ago and has since gone on to establish himself at Wolfsburg, becoming a crucial figure at the heart of Wolfsburg’s defence. His performances have caught the eye of some of Europe’s elite, according to Foot Mercato. 

Atalanta show firm interest in Lacroix

The French publication has denied reports elsewhere, linking the 23-year-old centre-back with a move to Liverpool, however, less prestigious Premier League sides do have an interest in the €15m rated player, whilst Lacroix himself dreams of a move to England. 

Serie A side Atalanta have shown great interest in Lacroix, who would nonetheless prioritise a move to the Premier League. The Frenchman’s contract at Wolfsburg runs until 2025. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

2016: Making a name at Monaco

The eyes of the world were watching when Kylian Mbappé began tearing Ligue 1 defences a part in 2016 despite being just 17-years-old. The former Monaco forward made 11 appearances during the 15/16 season for Les Monégasques, but its the 16/17 season where things really kicked into gear for the now France captain. Mbappé announced himself to fans of French football with the first hat trick of his career in a 7-0 win against Rennes and from there, he has never looked back.

2017: A champion is born

In the 2016/17 season, Mbappé was the star man as he propelled Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco to an unlikely Ligue 1 crown. Fending off his current club PSG to come out victorious as Ligue 1 champions, Mbappé scored 15 goals and assisted a further 11 to aid Les Monégasques to their first domestic title in 17 years. If people hadn’t heard the name Kylian Mbappé by this point, they had probably been sleeping under a rock. 

The France international wasn’t just capturing the attention of the footballing public in France either. In addition to making his France debut at 17, the forward’s mesmeric performances in the Champions League instantly catapulted him into the limelight. Monaco reached the semi-final of UEFA’s premier club competition in 2017 and Mbappé was pivotal. Two goals against Manchester City to help knock out the Citizens and a brace against Dortmund in the quarter finals truly made the world sit up and watch the brilliance of such a young player. 

2018: On top of the World 

2018 was quite possibly the most groundbreaking of Mbappé’s career to date. Following his stellar campaign with Monaco, the then teenager was signed for a world record-breaking €166m by Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017. At the time eyebrows were raised as the French forward has only produced elite level performances for one season, but Les Parisien’s investment had been paid back instantly as he scored 21 goals and assisted 16 in all competitions to aid PSG on their way to a domestic treble. 

Despite such an incredible domestic season, the best was yet to come on the International stage. Mbappé was instrumental as France were crowned World Champions at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The France international became the youngest player to score in a final since Pélé and won young player of the tournament in the process. His performance in France’s win against Lionel Messi’s Argentina (4-3) in what will go down as one of the greatest games in World Cup history showed his true quality at just 18-years-old. 

2019: Crown Collecting 

2019 was always going to struggle to top 2018 after winning a World Cup and signing for your hometown club. However, Mbappé continued to mature and stake his claim as the star of the future for PSG. Alongside Cavani and Neymar, the France captain continued to traumatise Ligue 1 defences as Les Parisiens collected a second consecutive Ligue 1 title. This was Mbappé’s third domestic title in a row in France. The PSG attacker scored 33 goals and won the golden boot in the process. 

A golden boot wouldn’t be the only personal accolade Mbappé would pick up in 2019 as he continued to add to his ever-growing collection of crowns. The Monaco youth product was named the best U21 player in the world as he picked up the inaugural Kopa Trophy at France Football’s Ballon d’Or ceremony. 

2020: Domestic Dominance

Mbappé and PSG made history in 2020 as they became the first side in France’s history to win a domestic quadruple. Les Parisiens won Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and Trophée des Champions in the 2019/20 season. 2020 saw the Ligue 1 season brought to an early conclusion following the COVID-19 pandemic, but Mbappé was still as instrumental as he scored 25 goals in what was a dramatically shortened season. 

The France captain was one match away from being a part of winning everything possible to win in a season with his hometown club. Following the resumption of football, PSG took part in the final eight of the Champions League and reached the final in Portugal against Bayern Munich. It would be his international teammate and former PSG player Kingsley Coman who prevented PSG from one of the most dominant seasons in football history.  

2021: Nations League success

In terms of success with club, 2021 was quite possibly the most disappointing of Kylian Mbappé’s career as PSG missed out on a fourth successive Ligue 1 title to Lille. However, Mbappé was still the most effective player in Ligue 1 during the 2020/21 season as he collected his third consecutive golden boot award. 

In contrast, for his country, 2021 was a much more memorable year. Mbappé won the second international trophy of his career with France as they were crowned winners of the UEFA Nations League. Les Bleus were reliant on the brilliant partnership and understanding developed between Karim Benzema and Mbappé. The France captain scored the winning goal in each the semi final and final and also assisted Benzema twice. 

2022: Almost untouchable 

France’s run to the 2022 World Cup final was hardly a surprise. However, the performances and reliance on Kylian Mbappé to take them a penalty shootout away from a second consecutive World Cup crown were truly astonishing. The PSG forward scored 8 goals for Les Bleus as he brought the golden boot home with him from Qatar, but the 25-year-old will have felt it should have been so much more. 

The France international continuously produced impressive performances throughout the tournament but none more so than in the final. With France two goals down, Mbappé single-handedly bought them back into the game with a hat trick. The 25-year-old had once again made the headlines in a World Cup final but this time one of the best performances in the competition’s history was not enough to bring the trophy back to France for a second time in a row. 

2023: Leading for Les Bleus & 300 career goals

2023 alone has been a truly impressive year for Mbappé. There are not many prouder moments for a footballer than being afforded the opportunity to represent their country international. The 25-year-old has been given quite possibly the greatest responsibility of any international player. Following the retirement of Hugo Lloris, Mbappé was named Les Bleus captain by Didier Deschamps. This has amplified his performances in a France shirt as he chases down his international teammate Olivier Giroud as Les Bleus’ all-time top goalscorer.

The France captain has also broke a multitude of records for both club and country during the calendar year. Most notably, he became the Paris Saint-Germain all-time top goalscorer and scored 300 career goals. Add a Ligue 1 title to boot and 2023 was a truly impressive year for the Frenchman.

Following in the footsteps of the greatest 

There have been many great players who have staked their claim as the best of a generation and Mbappé is certainly a contender for that accolade. Messi and Ronaldo are arguably the greatest players the game has ever seen and the stats show that the PSG forward is exceeding their output at the same age of 25. As identified by Opta, Mbappé has scored more goals than both at the time they turned 25.  

Far from finished 

To have achieved what Kylian Mbappé has achieved at the age of 25 is truly astonishing and more than most players will ever achieved throughout their entire careers. Whilst looking into the past as a reminder of his story to date shows how good he actually is, the fact he is only 25 makes it incredibly hard to predict what he could have achieved in another eight years at which point he will be 33. To be continued…

GFFN | Liam Wraith

The midfielder had so far been playing in the under-19 national league for PSG’s u-19 team, scoring three and assisting two in 12 games this season. He had already been a part of the PSG senior squad for four other Ligue 1 games, never leaving the bench.

Ethan Mbappé, yet another midfielder for PSG

He adds to the extensive list of midfielders currently at the club, with an additional player in Gabriel Moscardo (18) almost confirmed to be arriving this winter from Corinthians. The 16-year-old’s inclusion in PSG’s 3-1 win comes as a birthday present for the France captain, who turned 25 today.

No doubt Ethan will look to build off of this appearance and replicate some of what his brother has done with the club.

GFFN | Alfred Lalande

According to L’Equipe, the former sporting advisor to the Paris Saint-Germain shareholders in 2008 and entrepreneur, has notified his intentions to run against the current administration in an email to the presidents of the footballing districts, leagues, and professional clubs. 

Moulin had previously ran in 2020 where he came in third with 1.87% of the share of votes losing to Frédéric Thiriez (25.11%) and eventual winner Noël Le Graët (73.02%) who stepped down this year due to alleged inappropriate behaviour. 

It appears as if the hopeful candidate will focus his campaign on the current issues of violence in French football impacting not only the professional game but also at the grassroots level, stating in his email that he would ‘respond to the serious crisis that football is experiencing in terms of violence, risks of attacks on property, and people.’ 

At the very least even if Moulin is no more successful than he was in 2020, Diallo will at least no longer run unopposed in 2024. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

How did it feel to score in a World Cup final?

It’s funny that you’re asking that now as tonight (4th December) we are having our traditional meal for all of the France ’98 squad in Paris – since we won the World Cup and the Euros we meet up at least twice a year. So how did I feel scoring a goal in the World Cup final?

In my own country and with all my family in the stands? The only emotion that I can compare it to on the same level is the days that my daughters were born. When I became a father. I’ve rarely felt such strong, such intense feelings, such an unbelievable feeling of being alive, in day-to-day life, compared to the goal that I scored in the final. It’s an explosion of emotion in the head, you have the feeling that time stands still. At that moment I wasn’t thinking about it entering into posterity, about the impact that it would have. I know that it’s the World Cup final, I know the importance of it – but when I scored the goal it was like I blacked out. I don’t really have a visual or audio memory of it. But I remember that I thought immediately of my family, of my late brother – everything went so quickly through my head. But to answer your question, in terms of emotions the only time that I’ve felt such strong emotions in everyday life is when my daughters were born – I have three daughters and for each birth, I had the feeling of having done something of worth, something good.

We didn’t change people’s lives – we’re not politicians, we’re not scientists. We brought happiness and pride but as footballers, in terms of impact, it stops there. It’s limited. We can’t change people’s lives in social or economic terms, we can’t cure illnesses. Politicians and scientists have a real impact on people’s lives, we’re there to give them a bit of distraction, a bit of comfort.

Although at the time, with “Blanc-Black-Beur” there was a feeling that you were doing something to affect politics and the view of some minorities.

But it didn’t work though. When you look at the situation in France and around the world… I’m all for emphasising the importance of football in different aspects but as far as I’m concerned – it’s just my opinion – football and the impact of the players stops at a certain point.

1998 was the apotheosis for you with the World Cup following on from the Double with Arsenal. It feels like Arsenal are now poised to hit those heights again. What are your thoughts on the current team and do you think that any of the current team could have had a place in your team?

I am full of admiration for, and very happy with, the work of Arteta and of Arsenal’s Board – of their work on the pitch but also off it. I am very happy with the team’s style of play, which has reconnected to the club’s identity – lots of movement, passes between the lines, overlaps, looking to destabilise the opposition with the speed of movement and of thought. So I’m very, very happy with the style of play of Arsenal, even if I think there is still a lot of room for improvement, collectively and individually. And I’m very happy with Arteta. But I’m not going to compare them with our team – in 1998 it was a different kind of football – even though we played it very well! It was a different style of management too.

But I’ll compare them with us on the day that they start winning trophies like us. One can make all types of comparisons but at the end of the day what differentiates teams is their ability to win titles at the highest level. Arsenal are going in the right direction – I remember when Arteta first arrived it was very complicated for him, both on the pitch and in his management with certain players. He began to take very important decisions, particularly with Aubameyang but with others too. But what really pleased me was the vision that he had on the pitch, how he wanted to see his team play.

Many people say it’s a copy-paste of Guardiola’s Manchester City – well listen, guys, why are you complaining? If you do the same things as Pep Guardiola maybe you’ll get the same results! It’s not easy to say you’re going to copy Guardiola! You know a few years ago, at my time and after that at the time of the Invincibles, Arsenal were often seen as the mini-Barca. If today Arsenal are seen as the mini-City, that suits me perfectly and right now Arsenal are probably the toughest opponent that City has to face in the Premier League – and God knows if there are lots of big teams in the Premier League! I’m also very, very happy with the work between the staff and also the Board, with Edu among others, on the vision, the transfer market, the profile of players they’re going for in relation to what Arteta wants to do tactically on the pitch and how he wants his players to play.

For several years Arsenal made mistakes in the transfer market, spending crazy money on players who didn’t correspond at all to the DNA of the club or to what the coach wanted to do. Now I have the impression – actually not an impression but the conviction – that for two or three years now the club has been gradually rising again to become a major force in the Premier League and will become a major force on the European scene again too. So congratulations to everyone – to the players, to Arteta and to the Board – especially to the Board for giving Arteta the time to put his ideas and his convictions in place, because in certain clubs I don’t think Arteta would have lasted more than 18 months.

You mentioned the Invincibles, which brings me to a question likely on the lips of many Gunners’ fans – do you regret leaving Arsenal when you did?

Regrets? Yes, of course. But there you go, I spent three exceptional years with Arsenal, we won titles, it was the beginning of the Wenger era, the beginning of a new Arsenal – I remember when I joined the club, people often said of Arsenal that it was “kick and rush”, “long balls and win the second balls” – the ball spent more time in the air than on the pitch – “one-nil to the Arsenal”. And with Arsene Wenger and the arrival of lots of foreign players, we started putting our foot on the ball, playing with the ball on the ground. And we started to play brilliant football and that’s when we started winning trophies. So I am very proud, with Arsene and with my teammates, to have been there at the start of that new Arsenal. We placed the first building blocks – in fact, Arsene Wenger said it very well in a recent Canal+ feature on Arsenal – that it’s our generation that built the foundations for what Arsenal subsequently became.

I’d suggest not just Arsenal but the whole of the Premier League, in terms of changing players’ diets, lifestyles…

Exactly. So we’re very proud of all that, and I’m very proud of the Gunners today. And of all that is good about Arsenal and the club today, there is one thing in particular that I really like, that I admire a lot because it really speaks to me. It’s the friendship that exists between the players. There’s a real friendship that you can feel, that you can see on the pitch, you can see in their behaviour. The other day when Ramsdale played, at the end of the match all the players ran over to see him, to put their arms around him, to console him, because it must be very hard for him to be in his situation. The same thing with Kai Havertz when he scored his goal last weekend. You see it when a player has had a bad game – they’re immediately comforted by teammates.

There’s no guy there with a bad mentality, it’s a squad that gets on very, very well on a human level, and you can feel it – that not only do they take pleasure in playing together but also in experiencing these moments together, which for me is very important. There are egos but there isn’t too much ego. It’s always the team that takes precedence, that is the priority – it is not the individual that takes over. And for me you have Mikel Arteta to thank, for his management – which was tough, but he put in place rules in the changing room and on the pitch.

And the players are intelligent enough and have enough quality to have made Arsenal a major force in the Premier League again. And again, in modern football where everything happens so quickly and after five bad results, we change coaches – not just in England but in other leagues too – in France we’re seeing the same thing with Lyon, where you get the impression they’re going to change coaches every two months. Fine – but in modern football, which is crazy, which goes at 100,000kmph, it’s not surprising to see clubs succeed when they have a real strategy in place.

But really, it’s a pleasure, a source of pride, to watch these Gunners play, in their behaviour, in their style of play, but also in their attitude – I have a lot of affection for people in this team – I think that I would have got on well with a lot of the players, on the pitch and off it.

Emmanuel Petit was speaking on behalf of King Casino Bonus.

GFFN | Jeremy Smith

Aulas left his role as president of Lyon in May of this year after 36 years at the helm. Under his ownership and management, Les Gones enjoyed their most successful period in history, leading the club to over 50 titles shared across the men’s and women’s teams. 

However, his departure came after a rumoured falling out with the new owner, John Textor, over the direction of a club he had run since buying Les Gones in 1987. 

This departure opened Aulas up to an administrative role when the FFF unanimously proposed in November for Aulas to become their next vice president, and in a vote that took place earlier today, he was elected for the role. 

This news comes as little surprise, as according to L’Equipe, Aulas received 78.58% of the votes in an election where he was running unopposed. The new vice president will receive a mandate until the end of next year when elections are scheduled across the FFF.

GFFN | Nick Hartland

At 17 years and 119 days, Ilenikhena beat the record set 30 minutes earlier by fellow wonderkid Warren Zaïre-Emery (17), who had scored in PSG’s decisive game against Borussia Dortmund. The previous record was held by Karim Benzema (35), who had scored in the competition back in 2005, when he was playing at Olympique Lyonnais, being 17 years and 352 days old at the time.

The Franco-Nigerian started his career at Antony Foot Evolution, a French club near Paris, before signing his first professional contract with Amiens SC. He then worked through the youth ranks, making his first appearances for the first team last season in Ligue 2. In total, he took part in 17 matches, starting three games and scoring two goals. His precocious goal-scoring ability caught the eye of several clubs, including the 22/23 Juplier Pro League champions Royal Antwerp, who obtained his signing in exchange for €6 million, which in retrospect already looks like a bargain.

The sky is the limit for Ilenikhena

Indeed, the striker is off to a flying start with Antwerp, for whom he has already scored four goals in 15 appearances in the JPL, scoring every 45 minutes in the league. His current role as a prolific super-sub isn’t without reminding Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel (18), who has been getting his name on the scoresheet every 68 minutes in the Bundesliga. However, Ilenikhena has the benefit of playing in a smaller club, and a less competitive league, meaning there is more space for the youngster to pick up substantial game time and progress rapidly as a player. Only separated by one year of age, the two strikers could go on to fight for France’s starting number nine role in the future.

In terms of playstyle, the 17-year-old possesses a rapid burst of pace, which when combined with a well-timed run means his direct defender is often nowhere in sight when he receives the ball. Ilenikhena also has the non-negligible trait of being left-footed, which allows him to be unpredictable when taking on a defender, often cutting inside the outside to curl a shot towards the goal. At such a young age, George is also blessed with seemingly natural striker instincts, meaning his first touch is often space-creating, giving him extra time to fire a shot or play a teammate through.

The prodigy is part of a very exciting France 2006 generation, which includes the aforementioned WZE but also FC Lorient hot-prospect Eli Junior Kroupi (17) and u-17 World Cup finalists Mathis Lambourde (17), Mathis Amougou (17) and Bastien Meupiyou (17). Zaïre-Emery has already made an appearance for the France first team, while it shouldn’t be long before Ilenikhena and Kroupi get their first call-up with Thierry Henry’s u-21 squad, though George still has the choice to represent Nigeria if he wishes.

Another top talent for Royal Antwerp

The player is already worth €4.5 million by Transfermarkt, his value having gone up by €3.5 million since he joined the Belgian club in the summer window, making him already the joint ninth most valuable member of the squad, with exciting profiles such as Arthur Vermeeren (18) and Mandela Keita (21) leading the ranking. However, if his meteoric rise continues, no doubt Ilenikhena could a some point become the most valuable sale in the club’s history, the current record being held by Gastón Ávila’s (22) €12.5 million transfer to Ajax Amsterdam last August.

The next test for him will be this Sunday’s domestic match-up against second-place Anderlecht, where he’ll be hoping to get his first start of the season.

GFFN | Alfred Lalande