AS Monaco, Angers, Reims, Strasbourg… The plans for the L1 at the winter Mercato
AS Monaco: a transfer window linked to Alexander Nübel
In progress for the Champions League and still qualified for the European Cup, ASM could well make some adjustments to its workforce this winter. No madness though. It could move into goal where Bayern Munich are trying to snap up Alexander Nübel, six months before the end of his loan spell, to replace the injured Manuel Neuer. If the German leaves, he will have to be replaced. Otherwise the movements will happen at the margin on players lacking playing time (Jakobs, Akliouche, etc.).
If certain players are followed (defender Jesper Daland of Cercle Bruges, midfielder Danilo de Palmeiras or even winger of Bruges Noa Lang), it would still be in anticipation of next summer in the event of major departures (Badiashile, Disasi, Fofan…). Departures which should not occur during the season except unreasonable offer.
SCO Angers: Ounahi and Boufal will animate the winter market
Sanctioned with a payroll and transfer allowance framework by the DNCG at the end of November, SCO Angers will have to sell this winter and it is possible that the two Moroccan Globalists, Azzedine Ounahi and Sofiane Boufal, will bear the brunt of this situation. as Saïd Chabane admitted to RMC Sport a few days ago: “I tell myself that they will leave in June, or even in January. We prepare for everything. At a meeting this afternoon with the coach (Abdel Bouhazama) and the sporting director (Laurent Boissier) to consider all the possible scenarios and not find yourself in the water if this were to happen. You know very well that we cannot retain a player who wants to leave. Depending on the starting money, Angers could make a few moves on the market. Laurent Boissier inquires about all the opportunities…
FC Lorient: Europe fishing for hake
If the Hakes surprise in the race for Europe and do not have any specific needs displayed on the January Mercato, the main concern of Régis Le Bris and the leaders of Lorient will be to keep everyone in the month of January. . Enzo Le Fée, who has still not extended, is courted (OM, LOSC in particular). Terem Moffi appeals to many people abroad. Ditto for the Dango Ouattara revelation. Yvon Mvogo is popular in Germany (where FCL is considering Yann Sommer to replace him). If Lorient only manages with the departure of a few marginal players (Boisgard), winter 2023 will already be a great success…
Montpellier will play the attack in January!
If Laurent Nicollin maintained the mystery in November on the will or not of the MHSC to recruit, the Héraultais will indeed be active – not to say very active – in January. If Montpellier has planned to make a big sale to finance its recruitment (probably Maxime Estève even if Elye Wahi is courted …), Romain Pitau should see his group reinforced with a midfielder and at least one attacking player. The MHSC are looking for left and right wings as well as in the center forward market. Amine Boutrah (Concarneau) or even Jean-Philippe Krasso (ASSE) are observed but more with a view to summer 2023.
Stade de Reims: Nathanaël Mbuku, the hot file
Jean-Pierre Caillot set the tone for the Mercato from the final whistle of the Montpellier match last November by announcing a “Mercato of adjustments, not upheavals”. If a rumor circulated about the recruitment of a new goalkeeper (Andrei Radu), Will Still would not have asked for reinforcements in this sector of play at the Stade de Reims. In Champagne, we replace the starters and we anticipate the end of the contract.
The most sensitive file is that of Nathanaël Mbuku at the end of his contract in the summer of 2023 and whom the club will seek to sell to get some money. Folarin Balogun should go through with his loan at Reims and Junya Ito will do the whole season at least despite some interest.
RC Strasbourg: needs on the wings
Struggling in the standings after finishing at the gates of Europe in the 2021-22 season, Racing is looking to strengthen itself in the attacking lanes. A player is wanted as soon as possible, even if it means signing him as a joker, and another during the month of January. Alsatians do not have expandable funds, the head of recruitment Loïc Désiré will have to be smart. In the back lines, Frédéric Guilbert (Aston Villa) offered his services but it is not a priority for Julien Stéphan.
Stade Brestois is in the fog
Kenny Lala arrived as a joker, Grégory Lorenzi (sports director) has already doubled the position of right side. Stade Brestois can possibly make another attacker in the event of departure (Islam Slimani? Irvin Cardona?) but the files are complicated. In question ? The difficulties in getting their hands on the right coach for the Finistère project and the recent bad image of the club due to the burglaries which have already affected a third of the workforce at the start of the season…
Estac: everything will depend on the new Australian coach
Troyes having just changed coaches, the plans of the Aube club for this winter transfer window are quite difficult to read. City Group’s football director, Brian Marwood had also been quite clear on this plan in L’Est Eclair on December 12: “Patrick (Kisnorbo, the new Australian coach of ESTAC, editor’s note) has just arrived and will take the time to understand the players and the team. We are always on the lookout for an attractive offer, but we want to make sure that Patrick has time to settle in”. The needs will be refined after a few games and, if there is a rookie at Troyes, it will depend on the departures (Gallon, Tardieu, etc.) and the game that the Australian wants to put in place. The departure of Bruno Irles has completely reshuffled the cards…
Toulouse FC: means and needs
“We have a significant financial capacity compared to our budget to invest”. A few days ago, Damien Comolli set the tone for the Violets’ winter transfer window, which will be active. Because of his injuries in the heart of the game, Téfécé is looking for at least a midfielder. The idea of recruiting a right piston is also in the pipeline, as is that of anticipating the departure of players at the end of their contract (van den Bommen, Healey, I.Sylla). Potentially attacked on Aboukhlal after his successful World Cup with Morocco, Toulouse will seek to keep his major players for another six months…
Clermont-Foot: defenders considered very courted
If Pascal Gastien’s club is relatively discreet in its declarations of intent on the winter Mercato, everything suggests that it could move in Auvergne. In the direction of arrivals, the Clermont-Foot looks at the arrival of a side – right piston or even of an attacker. It will also be necessary to anticipate possible departures in central defense, Alidu Seidu, Mateusz Wieteska and Maximiliano Caufriez being courted (the last named being only loaned by Spartak Moscow).
AJ Auxerre: it will move badly with Christophe Pelissier
On the AJA side, we have already started the movements with the arrival of Akim Zedadka, who corresponded to a need for the Icaunais club in the right lane and the departure of Gaëtan Charbonnier (ASSE). Kays Ruiz-Atil and Alexandre Coeff could also leave. Ideally, Christophe Pelissier wants to strengthen himself in three more positions with the arrival of at least one sentry, a creative midfielder and a striker. But, at AJ Auxerre, everything will depend on the means that the discreet Monsieur Zhou wants to allocate to this winter market.
AC Ajaccio: priority to degreasing!
In Corse-Matin, Johan Cavalli was very clear about the ACA’s plans in January. The Mercato will first go through departures: “We plan to downsize the workforce because we realized that, for fear of facing this Ligue 1, we wanted to double certain positions, sometimes even triple them. Except that we saw that it was not effective. I have always said it: when there are more players who are not playing than players who are playing, the group cannot pull itself up”.
Are on the market: Mickaël Barreto, Qazim Laci, Jean Botué, Chaker Alhadur or Florian Chabrolle. Regarding recruitment, Ajaccio will only move if it has opportunities to seize, as was the case for joker Youcef Belaïli.