Mohamed Mohamed is back with a long read on a favourite destination for smart talent scouts, Ligue 2

By and large, football clubs have become smarter with how they approach squad building. In particular, there’s a greater understanding on age curves and projecting how players either transition into their primes or age out of it, depending on their archetype. Mega money transfers for players in their late 20s have become almost something of a taboo (especially in the online community), a stark contrast to where things were as recently as a few years ago. There’s perhaps an argument that the pendulum has swung too far and upper echelon prospects are at an absolute premium, at the expense of early-mid prime players. If there’s one club who’ve personified the shift in targeting players at the left side of the aging curve, it’s been Real Madrid. A quick look at their recent history of transfer business since the disaster acquisition of Eden Hazard, and one will find that the mega transfer fee and wage packages have gone to the best wonderkids. 

Because clubs are learning from past mistakes, it means that greater ingenuity must be had to find quality talents. The obvious example is Leicester and their miraculous Premier League title win in 2016. Several factors helped them complete the greatest feat in English football history, but to put it simply, they signed three players from quite unorthodox places who later became elite PL contributors. Riyad Mahrez plied his trade in Ligue 2 before Leicester signed him while they were a Championship club. Jamie Vardy was playing non-League football until age 25. N’Golo Kanté went up the divisions of French football, before finally getting noticed in Ligue 1 during the 2014-15 season because of performances like this.

The Match That Made Leicester City Buy N’Golo Kante

Asking clubs to replicate what Leicester did in finding three of the league’s best players out of near thin air is basically an impossible task. but Brighton may have shown a template for punching above your weight. Their recruitment success in recent years has stemmed from making a ton of small bets on young players who had intriguing data profiles. From there, the ones who the club thinks can eventually play for the first team would have a pathway towards regular minutes. Billy Carpenter describes the process:

“Brighton, on the other hand, have built a natural churn into their model. Like air traffic controllers, they clear the runway for corresponding take-offs and landings. As soon as a player reaches a certain degree of success and market desirability, suitors swarm. A price is shared, and if met, a transaction is concluded unemotionally.”

Brighton also aren’t afraid to make higher priced bets in the search of immediate production, and this summer in particular has seen them go this route. They’ve signed several youngsters and early-prime players for noteworthy fees, including the likes of Brajan Gruda, Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter, and Mats Wieffer. The hope is they successfully thread the needle of finding starter quality talents in the present who could also generate sizable transfer fees in the future.

Clubs across Europe have gone different routes to build their squad. Crystal Palace have looked to the Championship in recent years and acquired talents in Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, and Adam Wharton. Sunderland have gone super young in their recruitment in recent years, which includes the signing of Jobe Bellingham. Juventus’ Next Gen project is their ticket towards rebuilding the club from their current financial mess through global scouting of young talents. Stephen Ganavas from Scouted Football explains the potential upside:

“And so Juventus have taken a more aggressive approach, searching abroad for talented youngsters to bring into the JNG set-up.

This has a two-fold result. Obviously, they’re identifying and bringing in good players. But they’re increasing the overall level of the squad, which will have flow on benefits from locally developed talents that are able to train and play with elite young players week in, week out.”

I’d like to make the argument that as a recruitment strategy, Ligue 2 is a place where good to very good prospects are in abundance and European clubs should look at it more aggressively. It has long been a place where stars got their first taste of competitive action at a decent level. As mentioned earlier, two of Leicester’s big three during their 2016 title in Mahrez and Kanté were either in Ligue 2 at the time of signing (Mahrez) or were signed a year after promotion (Kanté). Those who have followed my work in years past know I’ve been a fan of Marcus Thuram, and he got his feet wet with Sochaux. Bundesliga clubs in the past have acquired central defenders straight from Ligue 2 such as Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano, and Maxence Lacroix. There is quality young talent to be found throughout the French football pyramid.

Despite this, the rest of Europe has been reluctant to acquire players from Ligue 2 directly. Rather, they wait until Player X goes to a Ligue 1 club and he either replicates the performance or improves on it. Alex Stewart from Analytics FC examined Ligue 2 player trading from 2017-22, and found players tended to mostly stay within the French football pyramid. Depending on which club in Ligue 1 they go to, this isn’t the worst strategy as they may not be able to command a ton of leverage in transfer negotiations. French football is very dependent on player sales, especially after the combo of the failed Mediapro TV deal and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Given the success stories to come from the league, I do think clubs may be missing out on not getting some of these players earlier and taking in the full benefits. As such, this article will look at some players who could make the leap to tougher leagues in the not too distant future. For this exercise, the rules will be really simple. I will be looking at players who played in Ligue 2 last season, are still in the league (with one exception), and were classified as age 23 or younger according to FBRef.

Honorable Mention

This section has a couple of players who I’m less high on as youngsters at the moment for various reasons. Given that they’re quite young, there’s still a real chance that their development spikes in the positive direction and they become as good or better than the players in the Ones to Watch section. 

Yoan Koré (CB, 19 years old, Paris FC)

In general, teenagers who survive (and in some cases, thrive) in top flight football are thought of as premium prospects. Their upside is thought to be tremendous because already in their development, they’re moving the needle vs grown men. This isn’t to say that they’re destined to become elite talents, but it’s hard to see them not at least ending up in the good to very good range. One could argue that perhaps this phenomenon isn’t quite as potent with players in second division football, but it is still interesting to take note when it happens.

Yoan Koré is an example of a super young prospect in Ligue 2, completing his age 18 season in 2023-24 for one of the better clubs in the division. He was one of nine outfield players in France’s second division who played 1000 or more minutes during their age 18 or younger season. While center-back is likely Koré’s position going forward, he’s played some minutes at right-back as well. This is reflected in his Transferlab profile, which in particular shows some technical promise. 

As a passer, Koré is decent and perhaps slightly above average. He can execute the necessary reads when given time on the ball, including driven passes between the lines. Diagonal passes aren’t a big part of his repertoire, highlighted by him being in the 48th percentile according to FBref last season. Things can get a bit hairy when he’s dealing with curled pressing runs to his left, in part because he’s not particularly aggressive carrying into space. This leads to dicey moments where It’s something that he could become better at with more experience.  

Defensively, Koré has some promise. He’ll sometimes step out of the defensive line to close down space against his marker, even into the opposition half. He seems to be decent at not letting players turn on him when pressuring up on them. There are definitely moments where he plays like a teenage center-back. He can get dragged out of position while looking to press up from his defensive line. Within the box, he can lose inside positioning against his nearby marker. One of the things for him to improve on would be his defending in 1v1 situations. He can look a bit stiff when trying to flip his hips, so dribblers who are adept at changing pace can get a step on him.

Yoan Koré will be interesting to monitor this season, as so far he hasn’t yet played a single minute for Paris FC. Last season was a successful one for him, though, and at only 19, Koré does have a bright future.

Jocelyn Janneh (CM, 21 years old, Bastia)

In recent years, there’s been something of an arms race by Europe’s elite to find talented deep-lying midfielders who provide two-way impact. Since they are a rarity, this has led to extravagant fees in the hopes of finding such a unicorn. A less sexy but still valuable archetype in today’s game is someone who is tasked with cleaning up a lot of messes, especially during defensive transitions. In the likes of João Palhinha and Manuel Ugarte, we have examples of midfielders who’ve accomplished this while arguably having just enough on-ball value to not be a major hindrance in possession.

Jocelyn Janneh is a fascinating prospect because at lower levels, he profiles as that type of prospect. The raw defensive metrics pop off the screen: 6.01 combined tackles and interceptions per 90 ranked in the 99th percentile among Ligue 2 midfielders according to FBref, and 8.07 ball recoveries had him in the 94th percentile last season. His TransferLab profile also shows that he’s among the better midfielders in Ligue 2 across various defensive metrics. There are some caveats. Bastia were in the bottom half for possession and field tilt, which plays a part in influencing the output. As well, counting stats shouldn’t be used as the be–all and end–all for evaluating an individual’s defensive ability, and even adjusted defensive metrics have their flaws. 

Aggressiveness is an apt word to describe Janneh’s out of possession work. It’s common to see Janneh look to eliminate time on the ball for a nearby marker from behind with attempted blindside tackles, especially from a heavy first touch, which carries the risk of vacating the midfield but also the reward of high regains and potential counter attacks. He does show moments of playing a thinking man’s game with delaying counters and shepherding opponents into congested areas for traps. As well, the tackling can be impressive.

As a passer, Janneh has his flaws. He’s fine at recycling possession across the backline and can quickly evade before circulating the ball, although he could be better at making himself available to receive during buildup phase. At times, it feels like the ball can get stuck in his feet for a beat too long and invite pressure from the opposition. The aerial passes tend to be on target but there’s occasionally too much loft to have incredible impact. He’s also not one to make forward runs into space, highlighted by being below the 10th percentile in both shots per 90 and progressive passes received.

Following their relegation to Ligue 2 at the conclusion of the 2016-17 Ligue 1 season, Bastia have been stuck in the wilderness of French football, briefly flirting with promotion in 2022-23. For them to one day return to the first division, players like Jocelyn Janneh will need to show an upward trend in in-possession development to help boost the club’s chances of finally returning to top-flight French football.

Ones to Watch

These players already look to have the tools to compete at a higher level.

Noé Lebreton (CM, 20 years old, Caen)

Noé Lebreton and Jocelyn Janneh aren’t too dissimilar when it comes to their playstyle, as they’re both midfielders who rack up a ton of defensive actions. So one might ask why Lebreton is here while Janneh is in the honorable mentions section. For one, Lebreton is nearly a year and a half younger than Janneh, which can be a huge difference in prospect development. Another is that while they generate similar volume of defensive actions, Lebreton is a bit quicker on his feet which helps in making higher value in his own third via deflecting passes or shots. The acceleration also manifests itself with how much space he can cover within his first few steps. Both LeBreton and Janneh’s TransferLab profiles show striking similarities.

Perhaps the biggest reason is there might be more promise for his in-possession work than what Janneh has shown. There are some moments where he’s smoother at manipulating how he receives the ball to give himself time for the next play. The cross-field switches also tend to be a bit more crisp and shift the defense at a greater magnitude. Neither Lebreton nor Janneh are yet known for being progressive passing hubs.

Lebreton’s off-ball movements are interesting as well. No one would confuse him for being a perennial box crasher, but he’ll occasionally find himself in the channels and look to provide an extra target in the box with his movement. These types of runs can help juice his own playmaking in the final third by providing him with potential cut-back opportunities. Like with Janneh, he could improve at not being in the cover shadow of the opposition front two during buildup, and the hope would be both players improve at that with more experience. Both are more cautious with their pass selection and perhaps could improve a bit at being more daring at attracting the opposition as carriers.

Noé Lebreton is generally regarded as one of the best prospects in the division. The defensive work and range on that end is noteworthy, although the questionable distribution puts a cap on his ceiling for now. It’s fair to say that his comfort as a progressive passer will be a major swing skill for whether he can become an impact midfielder at a bigger league, whether it be Ligue 1 or outside of French football.

Waniss Taïbi (CM, 22 years old, Rodez AF)

In another era, Waniss Taïbi might’ve profiled as a classic #10 due to how he receives the ball under control in a number of situations and the solid (if unspectacular) vision he possesses. In today’s game, he’s been moved to be a sort of tweener between an 8 and a 10. He’s not the sole zone mover and creative hub in the 2nd and final phase. All the while, there’s an expectation to also contribute out of possession. As seen on Transferlab, Taïbi is a considerable plus in most in-possession metrics

The solo progression is what truly catches the eye when watching Taïbi. He’s very aggressive at carrying into open space and attracting opponents. He can spin away from pressure, including letting the ball roll past him to generate separation from his marker. He can also show quick feet in tight areas. Despite not having eye popping acceleration nor speed, Taibi makes the use of what he has to get the ball forward as a zone mover.

As a passer, Taïbi is interesting. He’s constantly looking to help create combination sequences with nearby teammates, almost to a fault. Although he shows a few moments of progressive passing with his weaker foot, he’s mostly one-footed. To try and counter this, he’ll often attempt outside the boot or toe poke deliveries to get the ball forward. He’s not someone who’ll constantly unleash aerial passes, whether it be behind the backline or switches of play, with the touch on them being erratic. He’s probably more consistent in getting his team towards the final third than making the killer pass around the box.

Taïbi is something of a mixed bag defensively, although there is a general willingness to engage out of possession. There are moments where he’ll diligently utilize his cover shadow to block passing lanes through the middle. The defensive motor can run hot and cold though, which leads to moments where he looks like a passenger. Part of it is due to his limited athleticism, which can present itself in certain situations, like not closing down on opponents quite as quickly as others would while also guarding passing angles. He’s good at those hook type of standing tackles, including when coming from the blindside. 

Waniss Taïbi might be someone who’s an eye of the beholder type of prospect. He’s perhaps not quite at the level of a robust #8 who’ll provide impressive two-way impact as a central midfielder, and isn’t going to spam high-level passes to rack up high assists numbers as a 10. However, in the right tactical system, being that kind of 8/10 tweener could pay dividends and allow him to be a strong starter. 

Mathys Tourraine (FB, 23 years old, Paris FC)

We’re in an interesting time with the fullback position. By the 2010s, they mostly became known for patrolling the entirety of the flank, seemingly being tasked with both defending high the pitch yet also acting as a traditional winger in the final third. The best fullbacks were tasked with heavy creation duties, as seen with Liverpool’s setup from 2018-22. Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold became primary playmaking hubs and allowed Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to feast as inside forwards.

However, in recent years there’s been a shift towards moving fullbacks centrally to help with buildup, as well as provide an extra body in the center of the pitch to eliminate possible counter attacks. Of course, while those are the broad benefits of this trend, fullbacks still have variety in how they operate in possession. Alexander-Arnold and Oleksandr Zinchenko are examples of fullbacks who’ve moved centrally but behave differently once they have the ball. It should also be stated that this evolution isn’t universal, as seen by the visual below from The Analyst.

For the most part, Mathys Tourraine operates as the kind of attacking-oriented full-back which became the norm during the mid 2010s. His statistical profile bears that out, rating highly in a lot of metrics both defensively and attack. 

A lot of Tourraine’s actions when his team’s in possession, both on and off the ball, are closer to the touchline. The repertoire of passes at his disposal is rather diverse, including short range passes from near the touch line to the right wide zone of the box to set up cut-back opportunities for teammates or short range driven deliveries. Tourraine’s dribbling is more impactful in dynamic situations where he can use the momentum of the opponent trying to rush him against them. When given time and dealing with static 1v1s, he looks more ordinary. 

The off-ball movement is something that perhaps he could improve on, as it feels a bit paint by the numbers. That could be at least partly due to balancing defensive responsibilities, especially during transitions. He’ll do the customary overlapping runs once the ball is switched over to his area, and on occasion, he’ll provide dynamic underlapping runs which can be another option in breaking down stubborn defensive blocks.

Out of possession, Tourraine can be a risk taker. He’ll look to press up high following a turnover, sometimes venturing into unconventional positions in the opposition half. He can be prone to being dragged out of his position with his aggressive man-marking through intricate passing sequences. There’s also the issue of his height, which at around 5’7, makes it not surprising that he can be at a disadvantage during aerial duels. However, his recovery pace (especially over the first few yards) does allow him to make high leverage plays at a level which many others in 2nd division french football can’t quite accomplish, which is valuable in its own right. I think he also sees the game defensively at a pretty good level despite having considerable attacking responsibilities.

Tourraine did move over the summer from Grenoble to Paris FC, a club which has not played in the first division in France since the late 1970s. It’ll be interesting to see how Tourraine’s all action profile fits in a side which figures to have the ball more often, particularly what he does higher up the pitch. It’s possible that Paris FC signed a gem who helps them finally get back to Ligue 1 for the 2025-26 season.

Mohamed Amine Sbaï (W, 23 years old, Al-Fateh SC)

Among players in Ligue 2, here is where Mohamed Amine Sbaï ranked last season in certain creation metrics according to FBref:

• Expected Assisted Goals per 90: 99th
• Expected Assists per 90: 94th
• Passes into Penalty Area: 90th

This is reflected as well in Sbaï’s overall score via TransferLab, as he was one of the most productive players in Ligue 2 on a per minute basis in 2023-24. He’s a direct wide player who’ll put pressure on the opposition as both a playmaker and ball-carrier, the type of dual threat which clubs love. 

Ligue 2 is a great place for younger attacking talents to get used to the physicality of first team football, so Sbaï producing very impressive creation metrics was noteworthy. His performance vs Bastia last season was a highlight reel of what he could offer on the ball. He was constantly creating havoc off the dribble, in part due to clean technique when sizing up his marker, showing his command of pace and tempo. He was spamming the fake shot/cross to create extra space for himself, and while you could maybe nitpick at the final decisions made, he was still creating notable chances for others. 

Despite that impressive performance, there’s uncertainty on how good Sbaï is right now. He doesn’t seem to have a ton of off-ball gravity to help accentuate his on-ball gifts. He’ll occasionally fake to drop deeper to receive before attacking space along the flank, but he’s not constantly attempting runs in behind. When possession is on the far side, he tends to float towards the penalty spot for potential cut-backs. On the ball, he doesn’t have an imposing frame, and can get nudged by stronger defenders. This might explain why Sbaï was only in the 1st percentile for times tackled during a take-on attempt last season. There’s also uncertainty on how good of a creator he can be within the halfspace to help alleviate any athleticism concerns scouts might have for him as a pure touchline winger.

A recent move by Sbaï to the Saudi Pro League will make it tougher to judge how well he progresses as an early-prime attacker given the uniqueness of the league compared to European football. It would’ve been interesting to see how he’d handle the transition to Ligue 1 if that was his next move, given the added jump in athleticism and tactical acumen. It can be hard for attackers with non-elite burst, but still doable, as shown with what Georges Mikautadze did for Metz last season after returning from having a cup of coffee with Ajax.

Given his age, and that he’s reportedly only on a two year contract with Al-Fateh, there’s still a chance that Mohamed Amine Sbaï could once again ply his trade in European football in the not too distant future. His statistical profile from last season was intriguing enough that a bottom half Ligue 1 club or teams of an equivalent level outside of France probably should’ve taken a chance on him being a possible future impact starter. 

Header image copyright IMAGO/FredericChambert/Panoramic