Thursday, March 28, 2024

Bargains to be had in Ligue One this summer

yoann-gourcuffThis summer is set to be a very busy one in the transfer market. With Premier League clubs set to spend big this summer the French Ligue One could provide them with some quality players at reasonable prices.

Standard

The level of Ligue One is currently quite low compared to other leagues in Europe. The Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga are all of a higher standard so quality players from Ligue One could be looking for a move to a top league this summer. Here are a few of the players from Ligue One that could be on the move this summer:

Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux)

It’s been long accepted that the champions would lose their top striker this summer. He has been their top scorer for the past few seasons and has long attracted interest from elsewhere. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has a long held interest in the Moroccan international striker and if recent reports are to be believed he has already agreed to join the Gunners this summer.

Other clubs have also shown their interest in the striker including Juventus, AC Milan and Liverpool. For now he has insisted he is concentrating on finishing his Bordeaux career with a flourish. Bordeaux are still in desperate need of points to make third spot and a Champions League spot.

Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux)

The talented French midfield playmaker has been hailed as ‘the new Zinedine Zidane’. Both players have played for Bordeaux and France but Gourcuff has some way to go before he’s in the same class as Zizou.

He is a top quality player though and would be a great signing for most top European clubs. Some of his most impressive performances this season have come in the Champions League and they could earn him a lucrative move elsewhere.

Gourcuff could follow the same route as Zidane and move to Serie A with Juventus. The Old Lady has been linked with a move for the midfielder and they will have money to spend this summer. Arsenal have also been mentioned as a possible destination for the 23 year-old.

Hugo Lloris (Lyon)

The Lyon keeper is now number French number one and will be in-between the sticks for Les Bleus at the World Cup. Lloris had been a rising star at Nice before joining French giants Lyon and is now rated as one of the top young keepers in Europe.

Lloris has been in superb form this season despite the club struggling to keep pace with leaders Marseille in Ligue One. Lloris was also praised for his performances against the Republic of Ireland in the World Cup play-offs. He produced some crucial saves that helped his country make it to the World Cup.

Lloris has attracted major interest from the likes of AC Milan and Juventus. However it seems he is more likely to move to the Premier League with Arsenal and Manchester United believed to be tracking the talented 23 year-old.

Michel Bastos (Lyon)

Brazilian full-back turned winger Bastos impressed immensely in Ligue One with Lille before joining Lyon. He has had a good season with Lyon and is now attracting interests from bigger European leagues.

The winger is highly talented and his agent has hinted that he will consider his future after the World Cup. A move to Serie A looks likely with Juventus tracking the winger. His style would also be suited to La Liga and the Premier League.

Eden Hazard (Lille)

19 year-old attacking midfielder Eden Hazard has made a big reputation for himself in the last few years since breaking into the Lille first team. Hazard is already a Belgium international and is rated as the best Belgian prospect in years.

Hazard has impressed for Lille and has attracted interested from all the top European clubs. Zinedine Zidane has recommended that Real Madrid sign the youngster. Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have also been linked with him. He has already expressed a preference for joining Real Madrid or Arsenal but whether that’s this summer or not remains to be seen.

Summer

All these players would be good additions to the Premier League. The likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are all looking to strengthen their squads this summer and some of these players could be playing in the colours of your team very soon.

We would like to know which Ligue One player our readers would like to see at their club this summer?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Nugent


David is a freelance football writer with nearly a decade of experience writing about the beautiful game. The experienced writer has written for over a dozen websites and also an international soccer magazine offline.
Arguably his best work has come as an editorial writer for Soccernews, sharing his good, bad and ugly opinions on the world’s favourite sport. During David’s writing career he has written editorials, betting previews, match previews, banter, news and opinion pieces.

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