The international break gives way to the return of Ligue 1, which should not displease the majority of followers. Before starting this 12th round, French Football Weekly has drawn up an initial assessment of the best and worst recruits of the season (paper to read this Thursday on our site). A third of this season has already been played, we are starting to see things a little more clearly. Without much surprise regarding the good picks at the start of the year, it is a matter of looking towards the top of the ranking most of the time even if certain summer reinforcements have also dug their hole in the middle and bottom of the table.
We start of course with the reigning French champions who can rejoice in the immediate impact of William Pacho (10 matches, 1 assist, 837 minutes) and João Neves (11 matches, 6 assists, 787 minutes). The first, recruited for €40 million from Eintracht Frankfurt, showed a very good association with Marquinhos and was able to seize his chance in the face of competition that was dense but not there for different reasons (Beraldo, Skriniar, Kimpembe). The second, bought from Benfica for €60 million, has fit in well in the middle trio with Zaire-Emery and Vitinha. Although he has experienced a slight drop in performance in recent weeks, he remains the best passer in L1.
Højbjerg, Greenwood and Rulli validate part of Benatia’s transfer window
If AS Monaco is the runner-up to PSG currently, it is also partly thanks to the performances of Lamine Camara (10 matches, 2 goals, 1 assist, 757 minutes). The midfielder from Metz (€15 million) has put together some pretty astonishing performances for a 20-year-old who until then only had one L1 season under his belt. Another recruit with an immediate effect, and what an effect, we are talking about Mason Greenwood (11 matches, 8 goals, 2 assists, 934 minutes). It seems a long way from the setbacks of the English winger who caused so much talk when he arrived for €25 million from Manchester United. He is now 2nd top scorer in the championship and OM’s main offensive weapon, even if his performance has declined a little recently.
He is not the only one to have good weather in Marseille since Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (11 games, 1 goal, 986 minutes) became a captain in a few games. Already vice-captain, the Dane on loan with an option to buy from Tottenham is a safe bet and one of the barkers who was missing last season. Lower on the ground, Gerónimo Rulli (11 matches, 990 minutes) quickly made Pau Lopez forget in the Marseille goal. Transferred from Ajax for €4 million, the Argentinian has all the makings of a good pick, especially since his defense has provided him with a lot of work since the start of the championship (15 conceded already for 2 clean sheets).
Sensations Hamed Junior Traoré, Sebastian Nanasi and Zuriko Davitashvili
Head to OGC Nice now where Tanguy Ndombélé (8 matches, 1 goal, 1 assist, 895 minutes) arrived with some reservations from the supporters. It is clear that the midfielder, who arrived free, produced solid performances despite a hip injury which kept him away from the field for three weeks. Still with the Aiglons, the all-rounder Ali Abdi (8 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 580 minutes) got up to speed, playing at the Stade Malherbe in Caen as a left back. But it is quite a step higher that the 30-year-old Tunisian has played all the playing time available in the championship.
We go down in the ranking to find Hamed Junior Traore (9 matches, 5 goals, 1 assist, 741 minutes). Used in recent weeks as a left striker at AJ Auxerre, after playing in the center, the Ivorian on loan from Bournemouth is doing very badly on his side. OM can attest to this and if the promoted Auxerre is 9th in Ligue 1, it is largely thanks to him. After two thunderous first months of competition, Sebastian Nanasi (10 matches, 3 goals, 2 assists, 744 minutes) has calmed down a little but it remains no less essential in Strasbourg, especially since the Alsatians still paid €11 million for the snatch from Malmö.
Brest had a somewhat tricky start to the year, also focused on the Champions League, but it can be satisfied with the start of Soumaïla Coulibaly (5 matches, 1 assist, 319 minutes). It is also through the C1 that the defender is establishing himself as a hinge, he who is on loan from Borussia Dortmund. On the side of FC Nantes, the loan (with purchase option from OL) of Johann Lepenant (8 games, 2 goals, 1 assist, 541 minutes) is a success despite the poor performance of the Canaries. The biggest responsibilities on the field seem to suit him. Finally, Zuriko Davitashvili (11 matches, 5 goals, 2 assists, 961 minutes) is becoming the thrill player of AS Saint-Etienne, who did not hesitate to spend €6 million on the former Bordeaux player.
