Month: December 2023

Speaking to Eurosport, Montpellier midfielder Téji Savanier notably spoke about a potential future call-up to the French national team, having been one of Ligue 1’s standout players over the past few seasons.

The 30-year-old notably featured in France’s Olympic Games squad last summer, but has yet to appear for Didier Deschamps’ team, despite strong calls for his inclusion.

What do you say to Mamadou Sakho when he tells you that you wasted your career and that you could have played for big clubs?

He’s told me that before. It’s good to hear it coming from such a player. But I’m not asking myself those types of questions. Today, I’m at Montpellier. Tomorrow, I don’t know where I’ll be. I have a year and a half left on my contract. We’ll see.

When you see Guendouzi, Tolisso or Rabiot, do you not say to yourself that there might be a place for Savanier, Ligue 1’s player of the month for December, in the French national team?

I don’t like comparisons, then people will go thinking that Téji believes he’s better than this player or that. If those players are being called up, it’s because they deserve it. I am working in my own corner. If it’s to happen, it will come. I don’t worry about Guendouzi, Tolisso… All the better for them. I won’t stop myself from dreaming.

Is going to the Qatar World Cup in November an objective?

Playing in it would be a dream. I’m 30, it’ll be too late afterwards. If I’m doing well with my club, I’ll leave the rest to the [national team] manager. I won’t worry too much about it.

Have you already spoken with Didier Deschamps?

No, I’ve never spoken with him.

Would you have a message for him?

Hello and good luck [laughs].

No player has had their first call-up past 30 years of age since 2008 with Steve Savidan. But your journey has been unique, so…

It remains a dream. But it’s not my priority. My priority is to play well with my club. If I do well with Montpellier, Deschamps will watch me.

What is your biggest dream nowadays?

To qualify for Europe with Montpellier. If that happens, I will be the happiest player in the world.

 

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As reported by L’Équipe, Angers, Lausanne (Swiss D1) and Almeria (Spanish D2) are interested in Ismaël Sow (20), who is currently on loan from Bordeaux to Royal Excel Mouscron (Belgian D2).

The young defender has so far made two appearances at right-back for the Belgian outfit, since his move in the summer.

Sow could soon be on the move under a loan with option to buy.

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L’Équipe report this afternoon that Spanish forward Diego Costa has been offered to Saint-Étienne this week, who have decided not to make the move.

The former Chelsea man, who has been a free agent since the end of his contract with Atlético Mineiro last month, was put forward as a potential attacking reinforcement for Les Verts.

The striker is interested in a return to European football, having also been linked to Serie A’s bottom-placed club Salernitana.

Although the transfer was financially viable, Saint-Étienne have decided against signing the forward, given that they are prioritising players who know Ligue 1 well and are ready to play right away, as they look to stave off relegation in the short-term future.

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RMC Sport report this afternoon that the Paris Saint-Germain management remain in discussions with Kylian Mbappé over a potential renewal, with the forward’s contract expiring at the end of the season.

The 23-year-old – who indicated after the win over Lille last night that he had not made up his mind yet – has not ended the negotiations nor announced any departure to the club.

Les Parisiens are looking to keep hold of the World Cup winner – who pushed for a move to Real Madrid last summer – by making him the highest-paid member of the squad. The club’s plan is also to put forward a more ambitious project and making him a central part of a contract in a short-term contract.

Although he is free to enter talks with whoever he wants, the striker has insisted that he would not sit down with Real Madrid before the Champions League knockout ties between the two clubs, which start next week.

 

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MARSEILLE – 5 (Milik 10, 70, 78, Gerson 21, Ünder 85)

Pau López, 5

Pol Lirola, 5

Leonardo Balerdi, 5

William Saliba, 5 – His misplaced pass led to the counter that resulted in the opener but made up for it to some extent as he raced back to pressure Ounathi into blazing a shot over when clean through on goal. Sufficiently solid otherwise.

Sead Kolašinac, 5

Boubacar Kamara, 5

Mattéo Guendouzi, 7 – Marshalled OM’s midfield with his intensity throughout as the emotional leader of his team and it was his typical tenacity that won back possession before a well-timed ball put in Milik for Marseille’s first.

Gerson, 6 – He was the main culpable party in defensive dithering that resulted in the opener for Fulgini but he quickly rifled in a brilliant second from outside the box before his clever looped ball invited Milik to make it 3-2. One of his best Marseille performances.

Dimitri Payet, 5 – It’s bizarre to think that Payet, orchestrator-in-chief otherwise this season, could be this much on the fringes of a five-goal home win for OM but he still added the most shot-creating actions of anyone with 6.

Arkadiusz Milik, 9 – Hat-trick. Having scored just once in 11 Ligue 1 games beforehand, he managed three in 68 minutes here. It was his deft finish over Petkovic that got OM back in the game and his close-range header that put his team ahead before he stole in at the back post to slide home the fourth after Ünder’s teasing delivery.

Cédric Bakambu, 4 – He said after the game he didn’t mind who scored as long as the team won but he played as if he knew he was being directly compared to Milik here and was often a too little shellfish. Wasted a huge first half-chance to make it 3-2.

Others: Ünder 8, Harit 5, Rongier 5, Peres 5.

ANGERS – 2 (Fulgini 8, Bentaleb 11)

Danijel Petković, 3 – Made two key stops, one of which he knew little about, but conceded five and was directly at fault for the third, racing off his line for little reason which allowed Milik to head into an empty net.

Vincent Manceau, 3

Ismaël Traoré, 5

Batista Mendy, 3

Souleyman Doumbia, 4

Jimmy Cabot, 3

Thomas Mangani, 4

Nabil Bentaleb, 6 – Pressed effectively early on a was involved in the Angers opener before his deflected shot made it 2-0.

Azzedine Ounahi, 3

Angelo Fulgini, 6 – He fired a brilliant opener under Lopez after some hesitant OM defending and picked out Bentaleb seconds later for 2-0.

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Sofiane Boufal, 6 – A stunning mazy run unbalanced Marseille to create the second Angers goal and he was often a threat on the counter but faded as the game went on.

Others: Ninga 5, Capelle 5, Thomas 5, Lage 5.

As reported by RMC, Prince Albert II of Monaco has taken the unusual step of questioning the surprise sacking of Niko Kovač at AS Monaco mid-season. Philippe Clement has since been introduced but is yet to improve results. Prince Albert said: 

“Normally, we would take stock at the end of the season and not in the middle. I was able to meet Philippe Clement, he’s a charming person who has produced very good results for the teams he’s coached [but] I would’ve maybe left Niko in charge until the end of the season. I hope I’m wrong, but I think the decision was a bit too hasty… [I was given] several arguments that it was time to change because we weren’t on target for the objectives that we had set out at the start of the season.”

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In an interview with Le Parisien ahead of Lille’s clash against Paris Saint-Germain tonight, president Olivier Létang notably discussed the club’s winter transfer dealings.

The former Rennes president explained that Les Dogues were in no need to sell this January, despite a big potential offer from Newcastle for Sven Botman, while the chance to sign PSG’s Layvin Kurzawa was also turned down.

“We had no obligation to sell. We had two hearings with the DNCG [French football’s financial regulator] in July and October which took place in a very straightforward manner. In fact, we’ve been attacked for other players but we kept them. As was published, for instance Newcastle were ready to offer €50m for Sven Botman.”

“[On Kurzawa] We have two left-backs that we have faith in. We were indeed offered Layvin Kurzawa, but we don’t want to go and get another wide player.”

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According to L’Équipe, Jordan Amavi (27), who is currently on loan from Marseille to Nice with an option to buy, will miss the next 5-6 weeks with a sprained knee.

The left-back, who left Nice for Aston Villa in 2015, picked up the injury before the weekend’s surprise defeat to Clermont, against whom he was therefore unable to play.

The 27-year-old will miss important league games against Lyon, Angers, Strasbourg and Paris Saint-Germain and Montpellier.

Amavi will also have to miss both Cup and League games against Marseille in the coming weeks since he is currently on loan from OM.

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As reported by RMC, in speaking before his PSG team’s Ligue 1 game with Rennes tonight, Paris coach Mauricio Pochettino has confessed his love for the traditional PSG jersey design after the club’s lead ultra group, the CUP, criticised the club, among other things, for “insulting” fans by wearing away kits at home this season. The former Tottenham coach explained: 

“I’m in love with the original PSG shirt. When I signed for this club in 2001, one of the things I looked at most when I was a player was the shirts of the teams who were interested in me. And one of them was PSG. I loved the design and the crest with the Eiffel Tower. I think it’s one of the most beautiful in football.”

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Speaking in Portuguese in an interview broadcast by Canal+, Bruno Guimarães, who recently transferred from Lyon to Newcastle for a fee of €50m, spoke about his move.

The 24-year-old is confident that he “made the right choice in signing for Newcastle.” He continued that he has “never hidden his desire to play in England.”

Guimarães further explained that the transfer was in everyone’s interest, including Lyon. “I was aware that Lyon are going through a difficult time with the pandemic,” he said, referring to the financial difficulties that the majority of French clubs have experienced over the last year and a half.

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