Player Ratings | Saint-Étienne 1-1 Lille, ASSE youngsters again prove their quality

SAINT-ÉTIENNE – 1 (Sow 85) Etienne Green, 6 – Got a big hand to Yilmaz’s goal and maybe should have kept it out while he was a little unorthodox in his handling at times but made two snap one-on-one saves in the second half as part of a group of smart stops. Yvann Maçon, 5…

Newcastle & Leicester thinking about Mouctar Diakhaby deal

Foot Mercato report that 24-year-old French central defender Mouctar Diakhaby has been the subject of interest from Premier League duo Newcastle United and Leicester City in recent days. Diakhaby, who recently changed agent, has been at Valencia for the last 3 years and is looking for a change of scenery, marked by the racist abuse…

Reims interested in Groningen midfielder Azor Matusiwa

L’Équipe report this afternoon that Reims have made an enquiry for Groningen midfielder Azor Matusiwa, with the 23-year-old identified as a potential replacement for Troyes-bound Xavier Chavalerin. The 23-year-old had previously come close to signing for Lens last season, but was kept on by the Dutch club with whom he is under contract until 2023. Matusiwa…

Player Ratings | Lyon 3-1 Strasbourg, Bruno Guimarães and Moussa Dembélé impress in simple OL win

LYON – 3 (Dembélé 8, Denayer, 64, Paquetá 87) Anthony Lopes, 6 – Little to do for long periods but made a key save from Kevin Gameiro one-on-one just after half time and did well to close down Diallo late on. Malo Gusto, 7 – Defended sharply throughout and was a persistent outlet on the…

Reassuring news for Strasbourg’s Dimitri Liénard after collapse

Click:minimalist fashion After some worrying scenes during injury time between Lyon and Strasbourg last night as Strasbourg midfielder Dimitri Liénard collapsed on the pitch and was stretchered off after lengthy treatment, L‘Équipe provided a reassuring update. “He joined us in the locker room and just told us he felt a little uneasy,” explained coach Julien…

Saint-Étienne takeover candidate associated with friends of Nasser Al-Khelaifi

An investigation carried out by Jack Adamović Davies for Radio Free Asia has revealed that Cambodian prince Norodom Ravichak, who has made an official bid to take ownership of Saint-Étienne, is associated with two Qatar-based businessmen close to Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. The two business associates, Ahmed and Abdelkader Bessedik, based in Qatar, have been…

Achraf Hakimi on picking PSG over Chelsea: “I had an intuition.”

In an interview with L’Équipe‘s magazine edition, Paris Saint-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi discussed his reasons for joining Les Parisiens over Chelsea this summer, as well as his conversation with manager Mauricio Pochettino before signing. The Morocco international also reflected on being named the best right-back in the world by some, before recounting the day he…

Player Ratings | Monaco 3-0 Bordeaux, hapless Bordeaux again outclassed as Monaco find their feet

MONACO – 3 (Tchouaméni 35, Golovin 48, Ben Yedder 64) Alexander Nübel, 5 Ruben Aguilar, 5 Axel Disasi, 5 Guillermo Maripán, 6 Ismail Jakobs, 5 Aurélien Tchouaméni, 7 – Effortlessly dominated midfield once again and swept home the opener before smashing a second half shot off the bar. Eliot Matazo, 5 Aleksandr Golovin, 7 –…

Troyes interested in Braga defender Bruno Viana

Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato reports this afternoon that Troyes are looking to sign Brazilian defender Bruno Viana, currently at Portuguese side Braga. The 26-year-old spent last season on loan in his native country, at Flamengo, having previously turned out for Olympiacos. He is under contract with his current club until 2023. With Braga looking to let go…