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RMC report that Ligue 1 side AS Monaco are losing highly-rated central midfield talent Han-Noah Massengo, after the player requested to depart.

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The club of his choosing is Championship club Bristol City, who have found an agreement with the Principality side for €8m + a 20% sell-on percentage clause.

Massengo will undergo a medical with Bristol City tomorrow, according to the outlet in question’s chief reporter.

The news comes as a crushing blow to the ASM fanbase, who delighted at the 18-year-old’s cameos under Thierry Henry’s reign, both in the Champions’ League and during the 2018/19 league campaign.

The following article is extracted from Get French Football News’s 200,000 word guide to the world of French football, The Get French Football News 100 which focused on ranking individuals’ performances over the course of 2018 as a calendar year. To download the whole guide, click here.

The following piece was written in December 2018 and published on the 1st January 2019. Ismaila Sarr was ranked 33rd in the 2017 edition and ranked 30th in our index out of French football’s 100 best players in this year’s Get French Football News 100.

It has been another year of progression for Ismaila Sarr. The Rennes forward has steadily built on the promise he originally showed at Metz, before his move to Brittany in the summer of 2017 and now has the eyes of Europe on him after some standout performances and wonderful goals. The start of 2018 saw Sarr return from a lengthy period out injured, as he successfully put behind him a slightly frustrating start to his Rennes career, to finish the season strongly. Under then Rennes coach Sabri Lamouchi, Sarr was deployed in a variety of positions but seemed to find himself most often in a centre forward role.

Whilst he performed admirably there, it certainly is not a position which lends itself to the maximisation of his best attributes and he often looked isolated or was forced to drop too deep at times. There is no doubt that Sarr’s long-term future is instead in a wider position, the left-wing in particular, even if his dexterity facilitates his playing occasionally on the right. In those wide areas, he can fully unleash his most dangerous attribute; his pace. With or without the ball at his feet, Sarr is one of the quickest in the division and with a genuine love for taking players on, marking him as a daunting prospect for Ligue 1’s defenders.

His agent Thierno Seydi spoke in the summer, “he is very fast with excellent technique. He has the same qualities of (Ousmane) Dembélé of Barcelona (and also formerly of Rennes)”. Whilst his desire to run with the ball is encouraging, developments are required in terms of decision-making as too often Sarr finds himself running down a blind alley or struggles to make the correct decision at the right time. Over the course of the year it has been pleasing to see Sarr acknowledge this and come the close of 2018, there have been dramatic improvements.

It is also easy to forget that Sarr is still only 20-years-old and in just his third season of professional football, so to be playing at the high level that he is serves to annunciate his quality. After finishing the 2017/18 season strongly, helping Rennes to a 5th place finish and qualification for the Europa League, Sarr, as part of the Senegalese squad, headed out to Russia for the World Cup.

Despite Senegal cruelly being denied a chance of progressing to the next stage, due to an inferior discipline record and some questionable play towards the end of the Japan vs Poland game, Sarr still found time to attract glowing praise for his performances. His pace and power caught the eye of scouts from Barcelona and Juventus. Rennes successfully warded off interest in the summer from all potential suitors, however their start to the 2018/19 season was something of a struggle. Sarr remained a bright spot in an ever-increasingly muddled squad.

Goals against Angers, a classic burst down the left-wing before cutting inside and curling an effort into the far top corner, and Marseille, a poacher’s finish, pouncing on a goalkeeping mistake, gave further evidence that he was becoming more clinical in front of goal. He has already matched last season’s goal-scoring tally in the first half of the current campaign. It is the variety of goals that Sarr scores which is impressive. In addition to the aforementioned efforts: runs into the box followed by low composed finishes, delayed runs into the box to lose his marker before firing in and wonderful curling efforts from outside the area.

There are not many areas of the pitch from which he cannot score it seems. With Europa League football came a new audience for Sarr to impress and he has taken the opportunity with both hands. As Rennes just about progressed from their group, the only French team to achieve that this season, Sarr was without doubt the shining light. Few teams could cope with him and it was to his credit that UEFA included him in their Europa League Breakthrough Team of the Group Stages.

This was no doubt helped by a goal of the tournament contender against Jablonec. Collecting the ball on the left, he cut inside and played a one-two with Benjamin André before smashing home the return pass on the volley into the top corner from 20 yards. The finish was sublime, the power was immense, but the technique to hit the high bouncing ball that well was something else.

He followed that up with another wonder strike against Astana in the final group game hitting a powerful finish, again into the top corner, from 25 yards out this time. Finishing the year strongly with noticeably improved performances, under new Rennes coach Julien Stéphan, has meant that for the third time in his short career to date, Sarr is facing a barrage of interest from some of the biggest team’s across Europe. Arsenal are reportedly the latest side to join the queue, forcing Rennes to indicate they would not entertain offers less than €30m. If his performances continue in their recent manner, that valuation will only increase at a rapid rate in 2019.

R.A.

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Speaking in an interview with RMC, 34-year-old PSG central defender Thiago Silva discussed the future and pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel.

“We know that in football, only results count. If you do good work and you do not get the results, the criticism will come. We are used to it. Even our coach, who is very intelligent, has understood the situation well. We are working well but there are other teams with the same aim. After Manchester, people criticised our coaching staff a lot, especially our head coach. He did all the preparation, gave us all the information but after that, it is us, the players, who need to be in place. If we play badly in a match, that is our fault. Of course the coach is there too, but at 80% or 90%, it is up to us to do the work. Sometimes the criticisms are personal, and that, that is not good. If it is to do with the playing style or the system, even if we do not agree, we could listen. The coach is intelligent, he speaks to us about this a lot. He asks us to remain concentrated on our play.”

“He understands everything. He speaks very good French. Papus (Camara) also translates sometimes. When the coach is not sure, he starts to speak English because he feels more comfortable doing that. Everyone understands him very well. If things aren’t working well, then a team has figured out how to neutralise our playing style, like Rennes did. They played deep, tried to play on the counter. They entered our penalty box two or three times and scored two goals. It is inexplicable but the Rennes guys played the match they needed to play. They deserved to win. We have to accept this defeat and work more to come back.”

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As previously announced, Brazilian attacker Neymar has not travelled with the PSG 1st team squad this evening to Metz for their Ligue 1 encounter to occur later today.

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RMC report that Sporting Director Leonardo however has made the trip, suggesting that he will not be involved in any serious transfer negotiations, at least for tonight.

Marcin Bulka starts his 1st professional game in goal for Les Parisiens tonight, as does 17-year-old attacker Adil Aouchiche.

PSG XI vs Metz: Bulka – Dagba, Marquinhos, Silva (c), Bernat – Gueye, Verratti, Sarabia – Di Maria, Aouchiche, Choupo-Moting.

L’Équipe report that 22-year-old French attacker Rémi Oudin will be staying with Ligue 1 side Reims after Fiorentina never offered the set asking price.

La Viola made two written proposals between Sunday and this morning, but neither satisfied SDR’s condition of €10m excluding bonuses.

As a result of seeing these two bids rejected, Fiorentina preferred to sign Rachid Ghezzal instead.

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Radamel Falcao Garcia Zarate. A name to strike fear into the hearts of opposition defenders, fans and coaches. The name on the lips of the footballing world… if you had disappeared from the planet in 2012/13, these are the thoughts that would have be in your mind if you had been even a casual observer of European football. But we are in 2019, and in those six or so seasons things have changed; a trajectory that seemed intent on taking the Colombian striker to the very, very top of world soccer has not followed the predicted path.

Before his arrival in Monaco, Falcao scored 128 goals in all competitions in 217 career games. Taking Porto and Atletico Madrid alone this becomes an even more impressive 93 goals in 119 games, leading those sides to a considerable hoard of trophies, both domestically and in the Europa League. It was these statistics along with his aggressive style of play, and the fact that Atleti had form for taking in forwards, turning them into world class operators and selling them on for big profits, meant that the biggest and best teams in Europe were circling. He seemed destined to lead the line at one of those clubs, probably in Spain, England or Germany, and to shine in the Champions’ League, so obviously he turned up in Monaco, to play at the Stade Louis II.

Falcao was supposed to herald the new beginning at AS Monaco; freshly promoted after winning Ligue 2, Monegasque pockets were filling up under the weight of even more cash following new investment in the club. The challenge was firmly thrown down to PSG and the Qataris, surely Falcao would spearhead this, and revitalise the French footballing scene, domestically – and what better place to do that from than Monte Carlo?!

Like so many that possess a superlative talent, circumstances often contrive to play their part, and a serious ACL injury at the start of 2014 meant that the Monaco career of Falcao stalled early on. He would miss the rest of that season and the subsequent World Cup, ensuring mean that fans of Les Rouges et Blanc would not get to see the best of their new hero.

Despite missing so much the 2013/14 campaign and with no summer tournament football to shine in, Falcao was still a much wanted man and two loan spells at Manchester United and then Chelsea were supposed to alleviate some of the financial pressures behind the scenes at Monaco. Instead, perhaps it was because of the knee, he flopped, and flopped hard – the well-trodden path, trail-blazed by Juan Sebastian Veron much earlier, did nothing to benefit the player in a footballing sense – quite the opposite – and nothing to benefit Monaco, with no permanent transfer (and the associated fee) materialising after a meagre return of five goals in 36 games in England.

Falcao was supposed to be a symptom of the malaise of the new regime at Manchester United (see Angel Di Maria et al.) and the way that Chelsea deal in the market at times, but the result was that there simply were not any takers for the former hotshot’s services – a net yearly salary of over €9m probably a contributing factor here, also.

And, here is where we come to the conundrum of Radamel Falcao; he returned to France, neither he, nor his employers fully thrilled at this prospect, but Leonardo Jardim hands him the captain’s armband and we go on to have the 2016/17 miracle of Monte Carlo.

A thrilling young team, choc-full of swashbuckling talents, coached to within an inch of their lives to burn brightly for a solitary season on the Mediterranean coast. Falcao did not only contribute, he led this team and bagged 30 goals in 42 appearances that year. A player transformed, perhaps reborn with the feeling of youth around him, and an in an environment in which to impress upon his younger charges his experience, he delivered.

Fate again though conspired – of course no established European superpower could possibly permit a side like that at Monaco to endure – and the changing winds in the halls of power at the Louis II meant that the Russian ownership was more than happy to take the money on offer for their stars. Except Falcao.

And so to ordinariness we revert – relatively of course. 65 goals in 107 Monaco games remains a seriously impressive tally. But this player cost €60m to buy and €9m a year in salary, and those goals and games are spread over six years, including last season where a return to Ligue 2 looked on the cards.

We never truly saw the best of Falcao since his big money move, and even though he will end his career a wealthy man, with a decent enough medal drawer, when he looks back on his French sojourn he will know that it never consistently worked.

Radamel Falcao will be remembered as one of those players – one that went for financial reasons rather than sporting. Yet for fans of French football, his arrival sparked interest in both a club and a league that had badly needed something new, something big, and Falcao felt like that thing – the blue touch paper to ignite and spark the arms race with Paris.

For one, wonderful, beautiful season he conducted the orchestra of those boys that now sparkle in the top clubs around Europe, winning titles and trophies, but no move for Radamel, despite his moments of brilliance against Manchester City and others. For him, the thought remains what could, what should have been.

As El Tigre leaves the Principality to join Aslan in the wild of Istanbul, truly no other player has “represented” his club more fully. He has been the living embodiment of AS Monaco’s journey since 2013 – the highs, the lows, the controversies, the successes and the failures.

D.R.

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Speaking in an interview with Téléfoot, Marseille’s new #9 Dario Benedetto revealed that former club hero André-Pierre Gignac played a considerable role in his summer move from Boca Juniors to OM.

“Yes I was in contact with him. He is a player who has written himself into the history books of Tigres with a record number of goals. I must thank him because when Marseille enquired about me, he supported me… He asked if I needed advice in order to feel good in the club and in the city. The Marseille President (Eyraud) called Gignac and André-Pierre said a lot of nice things about me and I thank him for that.”

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Speaking to reporters following Lyon’s 2-2 draw with Brest, manager Sylvinho attempted to explain why the club is on a 6 match winless run in all competitions.

“During the first 15 or 20 minutes, we were not aggressive enough, we played backwards passes. We did not play well, I am not happy… One more time, we lost the three points in the final moments. We lack confidence and that creates fear. We changed our tactical set-up, we changed a few players owing to the run of games. I am little concerned about the results, but the first step is to restore confidence. For that, we need to win matches. We need to work twice as hard to rediscover this confidence.” 

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Mourinho, Wenger, Blanc… these were just some of the names linked with the Lyon job following Sylvinho’s dismissal. However fanciful they may have been, they caught the imagination of Les Gones’ supporters, and rekindled some of the excitement that had preceded the season, and the club’s fabled new era. Fans grew concerned when Jocelyn Gourvennec, recently relegated with Guingamp, was touted as the frontrunner. Apprehension turned to anger and disbelief when the news finally broke on Monday.

Rudi Garcia, having left Marseille in May with hisreputation blemished following a bitterly disappointing campaign, had joinedwith a contract running until the end of the 2020-2021 season. The backlashfrom Lyon fans that followed has been deafening.

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On the surface, the appointment makes sense. There can be little doubt that Garcia is a talented coach; he transformed Lille into a league and cup double-winning side in 2011, removing the shackles from former manager Claude Puel’s more defensive approach to the game to implement an exciting brand of attacking football. Admittedly, a far cry from the lethargic, reactive tactics imposed by Sylvinho. Whilst at Lille, he helped develop talented youngsters, notably Eden Hazard and the then-revered Gervinho, something Lyon should be looking to benefit from.

Garcia’s AS Roma were unlucky not to finish as champions in 2013-14, winning a then record 10 consecutive matches at the start of the season and finishing with 85 points. And who can forget Marseille’s mesmerising run to the 2018 Europa League final?

Following Sporting Director Juninho’s failed gamble on friend Sylvinho, it also seems sensible for the club to opt for a French-speaking coach with substantial experience working in Ligue 1. This is a move to steady the ship.

Moreover, unlike Laurent Blanc, who many expected to get the job, Garcia was willing to work with OL’s existing backroom staff, to whom president Jean-Michel Aulas has shown extraordinary loyalty over the years. If reports are to be believed, Blanc sought wholesale changes. Garcia on the other hand has only brought in two long-serving colleagues, assistant Claude Fichaux and opposition analyst Christophe Prudhon.

Whilst admirable, Les Gones’ loyalty has led to the club making a choice that sees a large number of supporters already alienated from the club’s new project, just months after it began: their sentiment is understandable.

Despite the logic behind this appointment, it is difficultto view the decision as one that will bring consistent, long-term success toOL, and as one that will have a positive outcome, given Garcia’s recent careertrajectory, and even his personality as a coach.

Garcia is, for the most part, stubborn. Typically wedded to a 4-3-3 for most of his career, opting also for a 4-2-3-1 during his time with Marseille, he rarely adapts his tactics to suit the opposition, with his sides often lacking in versatility. This proved costly against superior opposition, with his side suffering heavy defeats in the Champions’ League (6-1 to Barcelona, 7-1 to Bayern Munich at home). In Marseille’s torrid 2018-19 campaign, it wasn’t until February that Garcia started experimenting with a 4-4-2, which saw the team undergo a mini-revival. By then, this was too late.

Also concerning is his lack of a ‘plan B’, a criticism that,ironically enough, was levelled at former OL coach Bruno Génésio. At Roma, itwas widely regarded that tactically, his side were ‘found out’, which was a bigreason for their decline in form during the latter stages of his tenure. Garcia’sloyalty to certain players, and disregard for the form of others leads to somequestionable squad management at times. His persistence with Kevin Strootman atMarseille, with whom he had built a strong relationship at Roma and whostruggled to adapt to Ligue 1, was detrimental to the team at points lastseason.

Garcia’s penchant for attacking football has also been found wanting at various points in his career, most notably while at Marseille, where he frequently chose to set his side up extremely conservatively; his first Classique was a drab 0-0 with PSG where the club failed to register a single shot. Added to that is the fact that his record against direct competitors in Ligue 1 while at Marseille is abysmal; his OM side failed to register a single win against teams that finished in the top three, and would frequently lose in quite dizzying fashion (5-1 to PSG in February 2017, 6-1 to Monaco in August 2017, and 4-2 to Lyon in September 2018).

Off-the-pitch antics have further marred the Frenchman’sstature in the eyes of many. In recent years especially, he has become betterknown for his excuses than his management, habitually blaming match officialsfor his team’s shortcomings. After a comfortable 2-0 defeat to Bordeaux lastApril that saw their faint European football hopes dashed, it was the“mistakes” of the officials that were to blame. So too against EintrachtFrankfurt (where his side should have had “two penalties”). And PSG. And Reims…the list goes on. Repetitive and exhausting to witness, expect more of the samewhen results don’t go Les Gones’ way.

This continuous criticism of officials even led Garcia to insinuate that his new employers were favoured by referees during the 2017-18 race for Champions’ League football; a comment which led to very public rebuttal from Aulas himself on Twitter, who labelled the remarks “unbearable and unacceptable”, while the official OL account accused the Marseille coach of trying to influence officials himself. What’s more, Aulas has publicly distanced Garcia from the Lyon job in the past, and he joins the club off the back of managing a fierce rival.

These are hardly the best foundations for a strong working relationship.

It is not difficult, then, to understand why there is uproaramongst Lyon fans, and why many are unsure as to whether this will prove apositive decision in the long term. Fans have even created a petition calling forhis immediate removal, which, as of Wednesday afternoon, has over 6,600signatures, and calls the decision “a (very) bad joke”.

What went wrong at Marseille wasn’t entirely Rudi Garcia’s fault, and so far he has been saying the right things. During his first press conference on Tuesday, he said he wanted the team to play a “possession-based game”, and to “impose their game” on the opposition.

With a wealth of attacking and midfield talent at his disposal, it will be interesting to see if he is able to follow through with this. He will certainly need to buck up his ideas in order to have any long-term success with Les Gones. He must break his cycle of starting strongly, recruiting poorly, communicating badly, tactical sterility and crisis which has punctuated his recent career. He has it all to prove.

There can be little doubt that the Frenchman will view thisas an incredible opportunity to rebuild his reputation, but he must learn fromhis mistakes. His recent career trajectory suggests that he is not the rightman for the job, and fans, already disillusioned with the club’s initialpromises of a new era, will be on his back from the first whistle. Whilst alogical and sensible choice, it is one that seems to lack ambition whencompared to the other names linked with the job, and this is perhaps a sign ofAulas taking back control following the Sylvinho misfire.

Symptomatic of a revolution seemingly falling short, Garcia will find himself swimming against the tide, and it is hard not to see him being washed away. In an uncertain time for the club, there is only one certainty: the match against Marseille in November will be one to remember.

J.Sm.

L’Équipe report that Thomas Tuchel has rebuffed an approach from Bayern Munich after they parted ways with Niko Kovac, as he wants to continue his adventure with PSG.

He informed Bayern, who approached him in recent hours, that he wants to at least go to the end of his contract with PSG, which expires in 2021.

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This is not the first time at the Bavarian side have been interested in Tuchel, having pushed for him in the autumn of 2017 and summer of 2018. This summer again, despite Kovac remaining in place, Tuchel was followed closely by the Bundesliga champions, as well as by Manchester United.

Tuchel is not ruling out a spell with the Bavarians in the future, but currently views PSG as a good opportunity to progress his career at the highest level.