There has been a request to have a dedicated thread where younger upcoming talents and players whom we are not linked with (hence aren't discussed in the transfers thread) can be talked about. Feel free to "scout" and discuss any player from any league that might have caught your eye. Will be informative for everybody.
Lyon has a very interesting generation of youngsters coming through. I am sure y'all already heard of Fekir and Aouar already, but Ndombele is a very skilful midfielder with a great build and Diakhaby has stepped in for Umtiti. Other than Fekir possibly, I doubt anyone makes it to the WC but future is looking bright for l'OL.
I havent seen him play but theres a looooot of talk about him. Lyon is working real hard, even publicly, to try to persuade him to stick around and ignore a premature move. Houllier even came out a couple of weeks back and said he should wait just like Benzema did, who wanted to leave for Tottenham 2 years before joining us but did the right thing
TD;DR: French League doesn't have release/buyout clauses. The ones to watch this mercato: Jardim, Lemar, Sidibé, Fabinho, Lopes. The ones that you should not care about for now: Tielemans, MBoula, Pellegri. Monaco might undergo great changes this summer as it is rumored Rybolovlev is willing to sell the club. ____________________________________________________________________ Leonardo Jardim (43 years old) He is in my opinion an excellent coach. Not the world star coach that everyone wants, but an awesome coach if you want to build a team over the years, and if you want young players to improve. His first season in Monaco was hell to him since he apparently didn't understand what Monaco was trying to do as a club. Monaco is owned by a rich Russian (Dmitri Rybolovlev) that abandonned the original idea that was copying PSG once he realized the FFP was hitting him harder than any other club since Monaco has almost no fans compared to even medium clubs, no stadium revenues. Not many people, not many fans, Empty stadium. The second phase of the project was - and still is - to bring up young players around some older players bought for cheap at the start of the project. Once a player does good, and shines, he's sold at the best price. Then it's a loop to start again from scratch. To come back to Jardim. At first he was not overjoyed about what Monaco became, but he's pragmatic. He likes raising players, and Monaco is not a club that would fire him easily. he knew he had time. He's given all the keys for what happens on the pitch, and his club board understands that you can't do super good every years since you sell your best players every two years, if not every years. When he landed, he failed to understand the french league which its full defensive teams. The League of Aggressive Buses. His first try was all about a strong attack. After being wrecked in counter-attacks, and failing to break buses every week-end, he started switching to a defensive counter-attacking team. It did wonder, and little by little, he used a more classic attacking playstyle with a pinnacle last season with his team led by MBappe. His preferred formation is a vertical 4-4-2. His main tactic is based on attacking fullbacks, a strong defense (minus his first year in Monaco xD), and a fast attacking style once his team gets the ball back. His bread, and butter are counter attacks against Possession based teams. It worked wonders against PSG many times, and in CL (His games against City being the most recent example) +: Awesome if you give him the keys, and time to build a team. He would do wonders in Arsenal. Very good at raising young players. He's the opposite of Bielsa/Mourinho. He's pragmatic, and easy to deal with for his board as he's willing to accept their - sometimes strange - choices. A very hard worker. Not a superstar tactical genius, but he can sub players 15 minutes in if he thinks it's failing. Did it less this season as Monaco was plagued by injuries, so not much choice. A good guy overall. Very lovable according to people who met him or work with him. At least since he laned in Monaco. He still managed to get in an argument with MBappe though as Jardim thought he was too young to play in first team. But MBappe was hungry, and proved he was right, there on the pitch. -: Lacks trophies to prove that he's amongs the best. Lack charisma. Maybe not ambitious enough since he stayed in Monaco for so long. But some people will tell you that he's also respectful, and won't stab you in the back. True to his words. All in all, he lacks consideration in the football world, and it's a shame. _______________________________ Thomas Lemar (22 years old) Lemar had an incredible season 2016/2017, but never accepted to be amongs the ones that were refused a transfer. His current season is, to be honest, not good. He was injured at some points, but it isn't an excuse. He is not invested at all. Hard to judge, but I don't think he lost all his talent. It's just that he doesn't give his all with Monaco anymore. Lots of rumors send him in EPL since last summer. He will 100% leave this summer. There was a rumor Monaco refused around 100ME this winter (from Arsenal IIRC), but I don't think Monaco can ask as much anymore. In short, Monaco shot themselves in the foot. They blocked his transfer, but he had such a bad season that now it is unlikely they will get offered 100ME again. If he can be bought around 50ME it's a bargain. He's a really talented winger, and only 22 years old. Still unsure if Deschamps will select him for the World Cup. My opinion is that he will be awesome when he joins a club where he's happy. +: Ball control. Fast. Good crosses. Good shots. Short/mid range. Was excellent at FKs last season. -: Still too individualistic. Injury prone this season. Average at FKs this season. Doesn't track back enough to defend. _______________________________ Stevan Jovetic (28 years old) Despite being all the time under the radar, he was one of Monaco most important players this season despite the few games he played. He's experienced, and a very good Center Forward. Less talented than Falcao for sure, but more talented than your average striker you can find. He saved Monaco in the second part of the season. Jardim had to use him more due to other players injuries, and he actually showed up. His ratio goals per game/time played is real good. He's only a bit slow (ok he IS slow), and doesn't defend much. +: Ball control. Passing. Finishing. All kind of shots. -: Slow. Doesn't track back enough to defend. Useless if his teammates passes don't reach him, as he doesn't track back much. Monaco tried to use him as a 10, but he doesn't make good use of his field of vision. To be clear, he doesn't impress as a 10 despite being good at passing. _______________________________ Fabinho (24 years old) Fabinho is in the same situation as Lemar. His transfer to PSG was 100% happening last summer, but it fell off during the last days of the mercato because Monaco upped their demands. His first part of the season till december was horrible. He seemed to really hold a big grudge against his club. He's a professional though, and made a come back till march 2018. He helped Monaco a lot to get back on their feet. But then he stopped performing. Many people wondered why, but rumors appeared in april that he signed with a big european club already. Now it's clear why he doesn't give a sh*t anymore. He underperforms against opponents that play high on the field. He needs more space. Would not be a great fit for us. Not on the market anymore for all we know. Some people told me the big club that bought him is AM, but I can't say if it's true or not for now. +: Ball control. Long range passes. Excellent at taking penalties. Very good when defending high on the field. Good in the air. -: Suck under high pressing. Can completely lost it in some situations. He's a very good defender, but not when bulldogs are pressing him. Weak mentaly in my opinion. I understand he didn't get his transfer done last summer. But it is hard to count on him when he can do 2 horrible months, then 2 good months, then horrible again. That said, the same could be said about Lemar. Slow for his age (if his official age is his real age <.< ) _______________________________ Keita Balde (23 years old) Keita Balde is a good player. He can as a forward, and both side attacking midfielder. Not world class, but his stats are not horrible either: 8 goals, 7 assists. Monaco might sell him, but since he's young (23 years old), and can have a better second season, I think they will keep him one more year unless he tries to force his transfer. +: Good shots. Short/mid range. Stay focused. (When Monaci is sinking, he usually stays focused, and managed to save them a few times this season. -: Kind of slow. Weak passing/crossing. Individualistic. Neither slow or fast, but more slow than fast imo. _______________________________ Radamel Falcao (32 years old) Falcao is still falcao when not injured. he had an excellent first part of season. He held the top scored spot till he got injured. And that's where it hurts. He's getting older, so it means more injuries, and longer time to come back. Injury prone. Meaning that unless he signs somewhere to be a sub, I don't see anyone spending crazy money on him. +: One of the best pure strikers of the last decade imo. Positioning. Header. Shots, all range. Can take on FKs if needed. Finishing. -: Doesn't defend. Doesn't track back. If not fed with good passes/crosses he can end up useless. Slow. Injury prone. Old. _______________________________ Rony Lopes (22 years old) Rony Lopes can be the good deal this summer if somebody manages to buy him for very cheap. He was good with Monaco this season. 15 goals, 6 assists, at 22 years old. It's actually real good. Main position is attacking midfielder. Can play R/M/L. He has a shot range, and finishing, even at mid distance. His crosses are not that good, and he keeps the ball too much. I think he will stay in Monaco though. He has potential. He will improve next season. Still baking. +: Mid range shots. Dribbling. He really improved this season. Less individualistic than he was 1 year ago. -: Ball control. Passing/Crossing need work. Lacks stamina. Needs to beef up. _______________________________ Rachid Ghezzal (27 years old) Rachid Ghezzal is an average footballer despite being very talented. Not much to say about him. Left Lyon on a bad note, and he regressed in Monaco. 26 years old already. No potential left. He has some fulgurances, but he's not progressing anymore. Well, some people will say you need some average players too. Not terrible, but not great. Can't be called good this season though. As I said, he's talented. Can look awesome at training. But in games it doesn't materliaze anymore. A good sub though. +: Passes when in a good day (rarely). Crossing when in a good day (rarely). Dribbling when in a good day (rarely). Long range shots / FKs when in a good day (rarely). -: Passes when in a bad day (less rarely). Crossing when in a bad day (less rarely). Dribbling when in a bad day (less rarely). Long range shots / FKs when in a bad day (less rarely). _______________________________ Djibril Sidibé (25 years old) Djibril Sidibé is one of the good picks for this summer mercato. Lately, he's a bit injury prone but he's a very good attacking fullback that can actually take on long range shots (like Meunier from PSG). He improved a lot in Monaco, and like some of his teammates, he was excellent last season. He won his spot in France national team at that time. His current season is not horrible, but disappointing. He was injured, and since Tiémoué Bakayoko left for Chelsea, his lack of great defensive skills was in plain view. Even more when Fabinho stopped performing. He can play on both side of the field. His crosses are excellent. But he needs fast CBs than can cover for him, and a strong midfield. He isn't one that make others better. He's one that actually needs good people around him to perform at 100% +: LB/RB. Crosses. Passes. Key passes in particular. Fast. -: Need good, and fast teammates around him to cover, and track back. He isn't the worst defender ever, but he's average this season. Suffer from injuries this season. _______________________________ Youri Tielemans (21 years old) Youri Tielemans had a disappointing season. Jardim benched him a lot at the start of the season because he was not ready. Jardim was right. When he landed, many people thought he was a star in the making. So far he didnt show much. To his defense, Jardim didn't show much confidence in him. He didn't improve at all, in my opinion, since he left Anderlecht. His season is poor. He got more buffed because French League is rougher, but besides that, very disappointing. His stats are poor. ZERO goal in french league. I don't think Monaco will sell him, for the sol reason that no one will make a good offer for him. Still 21 years old too. +: This season? Nothing. Dead weight. -: Almost anything sadly. Kind of fast, but he can't keep the ball, and his decisions making is an absolute worst. Like a worse Lucas Moura. _______________________________ Jordi MBoula (19 years old) Jordi MBoula was transfered from Barca Juvenil A to AS Monaco last summer. Monaco didn't pay much for him (3-4.5ME), and they might be thanksful to that. I should have skipped him, but on a regular basis I'm asked about him on social network so let's get it out of the way now. From what I've watched he is nothing special. Monaco doesn't count on him anymore this season. +: He's shown none this season. That's an achievement in itself. -: Everything. Kind of fast maybe? _______________________________ Pietro Pellegri (17 years old) I know people will ask about Pietro Pellegri but it's too soon. He just arrived in Monaco, and we will see next season where he stands. He had a lot of potential. Monaco hope he will become their new MBappe. _______________________________I won't cover Jorge, and Almamy. They are both young, and need more time. They won't leave Monaco, and they have some potential. We'll see next season.
Good post @Ayayain Tielemens I someone I hoped would be a big player. He's till young. Next season is huge for him. Its a "prove it" year.
Tielemans had a horrible season. I didn't read reports as I watched him first hand, and it is one of the biggest disappointement in Monaco right now. He will be given another chance next season like you said, and he needs to prove something or his career will take a serious nosedive. Thanks for the good words, I'll post my Lyon report later, then I'll do another post with all the interesting players French League have in other clubs. French League despite being kind of crap (especially to watch. What's real crap is how everyone but 3-4 teams only do buses defense) produce lots of talents, and many players that start their pro career in France join bigger clubs every summer mercato.
I'm disappointed with Tielemans' first season at Monaco. Still think he has the talent and the mentality to succeed.
It is amazing how things go. Supreme talents not panning out... then nobody's becoming greats. If you told me Tielemans would fail at Monaco I wouldn't believe you..
Renato Sanches (20 years old) He had an absolute disaster of a season at Swansea with them being relegated not so great season under Carlo but prior to Bayern, he looks very promising. + versatility in midfield, being comfortable in defensive, attacking, central and wide roles + His attributes include physical strength, passing ability, and being composed in possession. + Has time to regain that ability that was demonstrated in the euros. - Lacks Confidence - Needs more learning / development
So, Kluivert's son. Is he good or not? From what I've read people have wildly different opinions about his potential.
10 goals,5 assists in 2300 minutes. Pretty good at dribbling,passing and creating chances. All in all he seems fairly complete for someone who's just 19(12 days ago he was 18).
Never seen him play but Ajax fans not to impressed. Likes to dribble with his head down from comments I've read.
I have watched him play more then 10 times between club and country. Very intelligent and skillful player but not ready to move to a big time club yet. Had a up and down season for Dortmund.
Levante's Jerfferson: "I thanked Florentino Perez and responded, ‘bring me to Real Madrid,’ to which he said, ‘keep on like that and you’ll come, you’ll see.’ I looked at him, smiled, and said ‘ok’” pic.twitter.com/tlKWQev4J1— M•A•J (@Ultra_Suristic) May 18, 2018
Ohh.... I didn't know that. Damn. That's not good. Perhaps we'll have some posters from Netherlands give us a perspective. @Oscar
I only watched him a couple of times this season. Just have no time to watch teams other than my own. Would love it if someone who watched him play a fair few times would give their opinion.
He has had a 'bad' 2nd half of the season. Probably because the league seemed lost and his head is with leaving the club. Ajax supporters are unhappy with Zijech as well telling him to leave, when he's their best player; so... The potential is there. He has speed, dribbling and goal scoring potential. He still has a lot of growing to do though. I wouldn't buy him now unless we planned to loan him out, he's not ready for a 1st spot in a big team.
At this point I have lost hope for next season. We need some big signing like Neymar... Sickens me this happens with Ramos, Modric, Marcelo etc.. still in their prime. They deserve so much more
Yeah,it's damn sad. Any team that has a core of Ramos,Varane,Marcelo,Modric & Kroos all in their primes should be going for doubles/trebles. Florentino no longer has Zidane to keep him from being a trigger-finger.. I just hope that it's a good Galactico and not something like Kane for 200M.