The professional French football has been in financial turmoil since their record-breaking TV deal with Mediapro completely fell apart about a little more than a month ago. What was supposed to be a game-changing TV deal that would elevate Ligue 1 to the levels of the Bundesliga, Serie A, and La Liga just ended up being a complete total disaster. The combination of Covid-19, Mediapro TV deal collapse, and most recently Canal+ opting to return their sublicense of the league has resulted in an estimated $2 billion revenue loss for just Ligue 1. These losses have rippled all the way down the professional French footballing ladder.
Various French clubs at every professional level have been further financially devastated on top of the already crippling Covid-19 losses. With many French clubs not receiving the TV revenue they were promised, they are desperate to offload players to build some revenue. Due to this, many players within Ligue 1 & 2 are being sold at discount prices that would normally be unheard of. Players who were unattainable for certain clubs before 2020 are suddenly realistic possibilities.
As one can imagine, right now there are bargains around every corner of Ligue 1 & 2. One of the many leagues that can benefit greatly from this is Major League Soccer. French football is a gold mine of talent. In more normal circumstances, most Ligue 1 and some Ligue 2 players would have been difficult to attract and afford for MLS clubs. That is no longer the case. Clubs in the MLS can now sign players from Ligue 1 & 2 that normally just wouldn’t have been possible in the past.
With Charlotte FC building its inaugural roster for 2022, Ligue 1 & 2 have to be leagues that they are keeping a close eye on. Many of the players from these leagues fit the Charlotte FC player signing profile and philosophy. Young players with high potential and players in their prime who are MLS first-team quality. While there are a multitude of great potential pickups, three stand out to be fantastic fits and bargains for Charlotte FC
Beginning with…
Amine Bassi (23) (Morocco)
Club: AS Nancy (Ligue 2)
Position(s): AM, CM, CF, LW, RW
Transfermarkt Value: $1.8 Million
Profile: Amine Bassi is a silky right-footed playmaker who has excellent technique, vision, and spatial awareness. While his best position is attacking midfielder, he is very versatile. Just in 2020, he was deployed as an attacking midfielder, center midfielder, left-winger, right-winger, and center-forward at AS Nancy. Bassi is exceptional at making himself available to receive the ball around the penalty area and immediately turning to try to create a chance for his team. He has been in a league of his own in chance creation in Ligue 2 for the past 2 seasons. He’s very well-rounded technically so he has multiple different approaches to create these chances for his team.
He can create chances by playing a threaded through ball, whipping in a sizzling cross, beating his defender in a 1 v 1 with his tight dribbling, or taking a quick touch to create enough space for him to fire a shot. His precise, close-control dribbling makes taking the ball off him incredibly difficult. His vision and ability to pick a pass can open up defenses in an instant. He isn’t afraid to shoot outside the box and is more than capable of consistently scoring these lower percentage shots. Bassi is a complete playmaker. In a league that at the heart of most successful teams is an elite number ten pulling the strings, Bassi looks very capable of being that puppetmaster. In order to reach that level though he has to increase his end production.
While he creates the most chances out of anyone in Ligue 2, his goal and assist tallies could be better. In the 2019 – 2020 season, he notched 4 goals and 3 assists in 2,008 minutes played. Thus far in the 2020 – 2021 season, he has 4 goals with 0 assists in 843 minutes. However, his expected assists are 3.79 this season. His lack of assists could come down to his teammates not finishing off the chances Bassi creates for them. Who knows what he could accomplish with more clinical finishers. He would also have to adjust to the physicality of the league with him lacking raw strength and physical presence.
With that said, if Charlotte FC were to sign him as a Designated Player he would need to take his goal and assist tallies to the next level. A goal he is more than capable of accomplishing considering he has much room to further develop at the young age of 23.
There has been European interest for Bassi but most recently it seems to have died off. Bassi could have very easily have been picked up by an English Championship team but because of Brexit that just isn’t an option anymore. Charlotte FC can take advantage of this current situation and swipe a massive young talent out from under everyone. He would most likely have to be a Designated Player but would only be 24-years-old when Charlotte starts playing allowing for a potentially huge profit if he gets sold later on.
He would be coming into the MLS as one of the most creative and dynamic players within the league. At 23, he’s already accumulated 7,944 minutes of professional playing experience and is at a stage where he is ready for the next step in his career. Similar to when 23-year-old Miguel Almiron made his jump from Lanús in Argentina to play for Atlanta United in MLS. Shockingly, Bassi is available for a free transfer this summer with his contract with AS Nancy expiring this upcoming June. Charlotte FC and MLS could provide Bassi a bigger stage to showcase his talent to the world.
The clip below perfectly demonstrates Bassi’s playmaking ability. Utilizing his superb close control dribbling, flair, and vision, he dictates the entire sequence and creates a goal for his team finishing it off with an assist.
Amine Adli (20) (France/Morocco)
Club: Toulouse FC (Ligue 2)
Position(s): ST & CF
Transfermarkt Value: $603k
Profile: Amine Adli is just 20-years-old but is a lockdown starter for promotion favorites, second place Toulouse FC in Ligue 2. He’s overperforming his expected goals of 3.62 already scoring 5 goals and adding 3 assists in 1,308 minutes played so far this season. While he is still a very young and raw prospect, he has shown to possess qualities beyond his years.
What initially stands out the most about Adli is that he doesn’t seem to be significantly weak in any footballing aspect. Despite his young age and limited professional experience, he has proven he has what it takes to play at a professional level. A complete forward is the best way to describe the kind of striker Adli is.
In terms of physical characteristics, he stands at 5’9 but has a similar, sturdy build to that of also 5’9 Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero. He has great explosiveness and speed to help him get away from defenders. His low center of gravity, great balance, and sturdy build help in avoiding getting bullied off the ball on a regular basis. He also seems to have made bulking up this past offseason a priority and continues increasing his mass up to this point. All of Adli’s physical characteristics would be helpful for the physicality of Major League Soccer.
However, more importantly, where do his mental and technical soccer abilities stand? Well, Adli isn’t only a complete forward because of physical characteristics. On the technical side, he can do it all. He has good ball control to carry the ball effectively, clever dribbler utilizing small touches to beat defenders, good vision and short passing ability for a young striker, and versatile finishing.
He has no problem using both his feet to score and dribble. He’s capable of dropping deep to receive the ball and progress it forward into the final 3rd. He can also play off defenders’ shoulders and get in behind. Adli can play almost any assignment asked of him in that striker position. His hold up ability still needs work but will improve as he continues to physically develop and gain more experience.
When it comes to his strongest mental attributes the most impressive ones are his composure and awareness. Whether it’s being closed down by a press or a 1 v 1 against the goalkeeper he is aware of his surroundings and has the composure and technical ability to act accordingly. The pressures of professional football don’t seem to startle him. He just looks like he belongs. However, one area where most young players are weak in is decision making. This is certainly an area that Adli needs to improve in but it is only natural to assume he will improve on it with experience.
Adli’s contract with Toulouse also ends this upcoming June so he would be available on a free transfer. His salary, however, is the tricky aspect to estimate. While there has been very little hype around Adli, if Toulouse sustains their good form and gets promoted to Ligue 1, it would make attracting Adli more difficult. If that is the case, a Designated Player contract may be the only way to attract him to MLS. On the flip side, if they don’t get promoted, MLS would be a more attractive option than playing in Ligue 2. In that case, a TAM contract or less could suffice to bring him to Charlotte.
While U-23 Designated Players have been very hit or miss in the league, unlike a lot of the flops, Adli has already proven he can be a consistent contributor to a professional team. However, the reality remains that a U-23 DP is still a huge gamble for any MLS club. MLS is more physically demanding than Ligue 2 and some young players just can’t handle the transition.
The most ideal scenario would be to sign Adli on a Senior or TAM contract at most. He isn’t ready right now to bear that Designated Player status but can still be a consistent starter in MLS. Regardless of whether he comes in on a DP, TAM, or senior contract, he will have to step up his goal contributions.
Charlotte would be gambling on his potential to develop into a top MLS striker, so they would require patience with him. A big risk but with massive upside. With that said, Adli has all the tools to be a top MLS striker and the next headline MLS export.
In the clip below, one can see all his well-rounded abilities coming together to start and finish a goal sequence. He begins with a clever pass that splits the defense. He then has the awareness to recognize where the open space is in the box and runs into it. His teammate finds him and Adli is composed and technically adept enough to take one precise touch to beat the last defender. He immediately follows that touch with a beautiful finish on his weaker right foot.
Senou Coulibaly (26) (Mali)
Club: Dijon FCO (Ligue 1)
Position(s): RCB, LCB
Transfermarkt Value: $968k
Profile: Senou Coulibaly is a right-footed center-back that stands at a towering 6’4 but is impressively mobile. While on paper having a really tall center-back seems to be a strength there are many cases where height is more a hindrance than an advantage. Coulibaly is not one of these cases. The clip below is just to showcase the athletism Coulibaly possesses despite his deceptive tall, lankier frame. He is able to keep up 1 v 1 with Kylian Mbappe, one of the fastest players in the world.
Coulibaly has a good understanding of how to get the most out of his height. A common trend you find in Coulibaly’s profile is how well he utilizes the combination of his height and athletism. The most obvious advantage of such height and athletism comes in aerial duels. Coulibaly is fast enough to arrive at the aerial balls within his defensive area and also has the height to win them against the majority of attackers.
Coulibaly is very commanding of his defensive area. Any opposition player that comes into or receives the ball within it will be immediately met by him. Coulibaly’s approach to defending is to disrupt the flow of attack by applying pressure immediately on the first touch an opponent has. With his long 6’4 frame and ability to quickly move laterally, it is difficult to dribble past his initial pressure. Most times, Coulibaly pressures the opposing ball receiving player as the ball arrives at their feet. His initial pressure forces most attackers to have to make a quick decision. This normally results in the opposing players being forced to make a less threatening pass backward.
While Coulibaly’s pressures can be very effective, if mistimed or against better opposition it can end up leaving the defense exposed. Coulibaly seems decently aware of these scenarios but occasionally will pressure in moments that will leave the defensive shape vulnerable. In MLS specifically, higher quality Designated Players who are excellent dribblers can take advantage of such pressure. One clever touch or feint from them could result in Coulibaly getting beat. However, with experience playing in Ligue 1, he has faced his fair share of attacking quality.
When it comes time to defend an attacker face to face in 1 v 1 scenarios, Coulibaly takes a less aggressive approach compared to when his opponent is playing with their back against him. He is patient and rarely lunges for tackles. He uses his length and lateral quickness to jockey his opponents to keep them in front of him. He jockeys until his opponent takes a bad touch, leaves an opening, or a teammate helps that he then takes advantage of to dispossess his opponent. His objective is to stay between the attacker and the goal or passing lane they are looking to attack.
The weaker aspects of Coulibaly’s game are his tackling and passing. He needs to improve the strength of his tackles. Sometimes when he goes for tackles it lacks strength and commitment not allowing for clean dispossession of the ball. It can give second chance opportunities to the opposing team. He also rarely slide tackles but when he does he doesn’t seem to time them well. If he wasn’t so tall and athletic this would be a bigger issue but he makes up for the lack of slide tackling ability with his raw athletism and length.
Coulibaly’s passing is mediocre at best. His passing range is very limited, it isn’t the most accurate and his pass selection can be off at times. While he’s actually pretty decent on the ball dribbling wise, don’t expect him to progress the ball with his passing. Coulibaly would best be paired with a center-back who is comfortable passing out of the back.
However, Coulibaly isn’t a complete product yet. Center-backs tend to peak at older ages compared to most other positions in soccer. With Coulibaly only being 26, he’s not even in his prime yet as a center-back, so he still has much room to improve. Dijon is highly likely to get relegated to Ligue 2 and a move to MLS could be attractive to a player like Coulibaly. There isn’t much transfer interest for Coulibaly, but that is great news for Charlotte. With relegation, his transfer fee would drop even lower than what it already is allowing Charlotte to pick up a solid center-back about to enter his prime for pennies.
Conclusion
With Covid-19 and the TV deal disaster in French football, Charlotte FC has a rare window to acquire players from Ligue 1 & 2 for massively discounted prices. It is a huge opportunity to acquire some high quality, key players for the inaugural season of Charlotte. Zoran Krneta, Thomas Schaling, and co. have continuously stated that the Charlotte scouting network is monitoring leagues all around the world for players. Ligue 1 & 2 should be at the very top of the list of their prioritized leagues to scout.
Massive thank you to Kasarachi from @FootyScribblers for all his recommendations and additional insight on French football! Make sure to check out his own site over at footballscribblers.blogspot.com.
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