ASSE is unlucky with its injured players. Coach Olivier Dall'Oglio is accumulating them, the day after the derby against Lyon, there were four of them recovering more or less long term: Anthony Briançon, Boubacar Fall, Mickaël Nadé, Thomas Monconduit and Ben Old. The latter, a 22-year-old New Zealand winger, is one of the great picks of the Saint-Etienne collective.
Except that he was injured and after having been affected in the ligaments and the meniscus of one knee, he must observe a long period of rest, which will not see him return to the best, as during the winter 2025. His absence could force the Saint-Etienne board to recruit for his position this winter. But with the limited means of a promoted person, that is to say that the room for maneuver is minimal.
So perhaps they will look towards the players who will soon be free, whom the clubs which employ them will let go more easily, to the extent that January will represent a last opportunity for them to obtain compensation for the transfer. One player in particular has this “firefighter” profile, who knows Ligue 1 perfectly, in the person of Yann Karamoh. Last winter, Torino loaned him to Montpellier to finish the season, but the MHSC ultimately did not exercise the purchase option.
Former or current French footballers to strengthen the Greens this winter
In the register of players to “stake” from direct competitors to maintain, to both strengthen themselves and weaken rivals, there is on the one hand the experienced Wahbi Khazri always in Montpellier, and another Samuel Grandsir from Le Havre. In Ligue 2 the young and promising player is playing Tidiam Gomis (18 years old), with Stade Malherbe de Caen. Already highly coveted in the summer, his club resisted to keep it. But it has not since been extended. What about his situation this winter?
Otherwise, the older and experienced Naïm Slitiwho is achieving solid performances in the Middle East, in Qatar where he is now exiled. And finally another profile, who like Sliti wore the LOSC jersey, that of the Dutch winger, Anwar El Ghazi. A downside to his arrival: he was fired by Mainz for his support for Palestine. Even if justice has since ruled in his favor, there may be reluctance on the part of certain clubs to hire a player with assumed and asserted convictions. Especially for teams who needed to concentrate all their energy on the race to maintain.
