Les Monégasques and the forward were set on an early departure with six months left on his contract. The player has not featured for a single minute for the club this season, having been frozen out of the squad. 

Martins has not trained with the first-team squad due to an agreement made between Monaco and his agent. There were some thoughts that he would look to return to his native Portugal or that the Saudi Arabian clubs would be interested in securing his talent. 

However, according to L’Équipe, Martins will likely join Olympiacos FC later today after travelling to Piraeus last night where he will join the Greek club on a free transfer. Still, Monaco will maintain a small percentage on any future transfer fees if Olympiacos look to sell him. 

Perhaps there will be some disappointment that Monaco will not come anywhere close to recouping the €30 million spent on securing the player in 2018 from Atlético de Madrid, but this transfer is part of a wider move from Les Monégasques to trim their squad. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Le Bris won plaudits last season for the way his side performed in his debut season as a manager. However, this year has been a fundamentally different kettle of fish, the team have struggled to emulate their performances from the year before and sit within the relegation zone. 

The defeat to end the first half of the season to Brest was not taken well by all involved with the club. The supporters dumped 400kg of rotting fish outside the club’s training ground as the team coach arrived back from the game, while within the squad the reaction was equally tainted. 

L’Équipe reported that there were significant tensions within the dressing room following the match as Le Bris criticised four players for their apparent lack of humility: Benjamin Mendy (29), Jean-Victor Makengo (25), Isaak Touré (20), and Romain Faivre (25). 

Le Bris to remain as manager for now

There was an expectation with his tactics being questioned and his relationship with the squad deteriorating that it was no longer viable for Le Bris to continue managing at Les Merlus, especially since the winter break could provide an opportunity for the club to find an alternative option before returning to training. 

Despite this L’Équipe, now confirms that Le Bris will continue as manager for Lorient into the new year, with the head coach leading the training sessions on Friday morning, as the break instead allowed calmer heads to prevail. 

Le Bris’s future is far from secure, but he has at least for the moment been provided more time to turn the fortunes of the club around. In practical terms, this means that the manager, like in the summer, will have a significant say in the transfer market as Lorient prepare for a crucial second half of the season; which could in turn create an interesting dilemma if results do not pick up when the fixtures return.

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Kantari had been in the role as an interim appointment since early December after the club fired his predecessor Jorge Maciel and his coaching staff after recording only one victory in the league since the start of the campaign. 

The club find themselves in a dire situation and they remain eight points adrift of safety with half of their league fixtures played. 

Results have hardly improved since Maciel departed and Kantari is yet to find the team’s second win in the league. Two losses and a victory in the Coupe de France over a team three divisions below them have not been a great start for the new manager. 

It looks highly likely that VAFC will be relegated at the end of the season with four clubs being demoted into the Championnat National this year and results yet to improve for the struggling team. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

The goalkeeper was included in the preliminary squad for Mali but according to Sports News Africa will not join up with his national side when they compete in the upcoming tournament. 

Samassa has excelled at the Ligue 2 side since arriving in the summer as a free agent, and will reportedly reject his international duties in favour of remaining with Laval while the competition takes place. 

In a quotation provided by France Bleu, the president of Laval, Laurent Lairy, referred to a ‘moral agreement’ that the goalkeeper made when he joined the club, where it is alleged that Samassa assured the club during negotiations that he would refuse to compete in the tournament. 

What could be described as a creative solution to a lengthy absence for Samassa will likely not work as intended. Refusing an international call-up without the agreement of the national federation could lead to a ban and a sanction imposed on the player as it contravenes FIFA regulations. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland 

Mbappé can be contacted from the 1st of January by clubs looking to sign the French star in the summer on a free transfer, and the Catalan club, according to Mundo Deportivo, would attempt to take advantage of this situation with a reported incredible offer. 

Mundo Deportivo suggested that Barcelona would use the influx of money brought about by the Super League to convince Mbappé of their project, while also fending off interest from Real Madrid by agreeing to support the club in its efforts to establish the new tournament. 

However, if this report seemed somewhat fanciful, with an agreement between Mbappé and Barcelona resting on secret agreements between club presidents, and on finances from a competition that does not yet exist, that would be because it is. 

In Spain, today marks what’s called, the Day of the Holy Innocents which is equivalent to April Fool’s Day where people play practical jokes on one another, and newspapers are no strangers to creating these hoaxes. 

The unfortunate truth for Barcelona, as they watch their eternal rival begin its attempts to court one of the world’s greatest players, is that they will play no part in deciding his future. 

The club is riddled with debt and the reality is that outside of hoaxes there will be no agreement to see Mbappé ply his trade with the Blaugrana. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

The fullback has not featured since late April for Les Parisiens after sustaining a hamstring injury, and in September this was eventually operated on. Mendes will be assessed at the start of the new year, and a more concrete action plan for when he can return to the field will be put in motion. 

However, considering the amount of time the player has already spent on the sidelines, both Mendes and the club will likely be cautious with any return. Le Parisien suggests that this could mean Mendes might only return around March for the team, and even then it might still be a slow process as he returns to full fitness.  

Mendes’ absence could trigger transfer activity 

With Mendes likely to be absent for a significant portion of the remaining season, there are rumours that PSG could look to the transfer market to find cover for the fullback spot. 

This decision could also be influenced by Achraf Hakimi (25) being unavailable for selection while representing Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, and the status of the remaining two fullbacks Lucas Hernandez (27) and Nordi Mukiele (26) who have within the last year suffered and recovered from destabilising injuries. 

If PSG were to make a move in the upcoming transfer window, the profile of player they would target at this position is as of yet unknown. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

The forward signed last January in a €10 million move between the sister clubs. The Brazilian side is owned by John Textor, the American businessman, who also holds a majority share with the French club.

Despite representing the biggest sale in Botafogo’s history when he joined Lyon, this transfer was far from a popular move in Brazil, as Textor received a wave of death threats from supporters in reaction to the news. 

However, after a disappointing time in France, there must be some positivity from Botafogo’s fans now that Jeffinho could be loaned back to the club where he had previously excelled. 

There have been moments in the young Brazilian’s time at Lyon that have shown his promise, but they have been far too inconsistent, and this move in the upcoming transfer window could represent an opportunity for Jeffinho to refind his form. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Mandanda, the little brother of French international Steve Mandanda (38), had trained at Caen as a goalkeeper from 2002 until 2007 but never progressed into the first team, and left to find options elsewhere. 

Most notably Mandanda found success in the Belgium league as the goalkeeper for Royal Charleroi between 2011 and 2020, and like his older brother became an international as he represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Last summer Mandanda returned to Caen to train with the team and was afforded opportunities this season with the reserves after the injury to third-choice goalkeeper, Destiné Jopanguy (20). 

This injury coupled with the absence of first-choice Anthony Mandréa (27), due to the Africa Cup of Nations, led to Caen offering Mandanda his first professional contract with the club on Wednesday. 

Mandanda will provide support for Yannis Clementia (26) for the foreseeable future and may well end up earning his first appearance for his boyhood club sixteen years after leaving its academy. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

The young Frenchman started as a centre-back on the left side of a defence inflicted with an injury crisis, as Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelöf, and Harry Maguire were all absent, while Raphaël Varane has reportedly fallen out of favour at the English club. 

This dilemma proved to be Kambwala’s gain, as a player who has represented France in the under-16s category and has captained United’s under-19s in the UEFA Youth League, made the transition from the academy to the first team. 

Kambwala joined the Red Devils from FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in 2020 and now looks like he could have an opportunity for a lengthy period at the heart of the United backline after a generally solid performance. 

The young defender was largely left untested in the first half as West Ham managed only one shot on target. However, there were some nervy touches in the second as West Ham pressed high in targeted moments, but generally, it was an assured showing for the debut player despite the late rout from the Hammers to win. 

Kambwala’s match ended early as the debutant was taken off in the 84th minute in what was an encouraging match despite the disappointing result for the player. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Tensions soon began to grow between the two men after Textor bought Lyon from Aulas. The former owner was kept on as club president for a transitional period of three years. 

However, that transition was cut short by a few months after reported disagreements between the two occurred over the future direction of the club causing Aulas to step down from his role. Textor was apparently in favour of a massive restructuring of the footballing department whereas Aulas was unmoved by these opinions. 

The relationship soured further in the summer when Aulas froze Lyon’s funds, threatened to sue Textor, and also criticised the club for the departures of Bradley Barcola and Castello Lukeba. 

It appeared as if there would be no rapprochement between the figurehead of Lyon’s past and that of its future, but unexpectedly the relationship appeared to have thawed when the two were seen together in Lyon’s victory over Toulouse (3-0) on the 10th of December. 

Aulas, now the vice president of the French Football Federation, spoke in a Canal+ interview about how the two found reconciliation, ‘We decided to discuss, from that moment on, John told me: “You have to come back to the stadium.”’ 

Jean-Michel Aulas sur sa relation avec John Textor

"On a discuté. John m'a dit de venir au stade (lors de Lyon / Toulouse le 11 décembre). (…) Je crois que c'est un acte de réconciliation" pic.twitter.com/iXAWAQx98Q

— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) December 22, 2023

The former president went with Textor to see the players before the match against Toulouse, ‘They must have been surprised. I was too. I was a little embarrassed. Very moved. My legs were like jelly. I wasn’t prepared.’ 

Aulas finished by explaining that this ‘This was not an act of communication but a positive act of reconciliation which allowed everyone to find their footing.’

GFFN | Nick Hartland