While the staff of the Stade Malherbe was quick to draw on the winter transfer window with the recruitment of central defender Alex Moucketou-Moussounda (loaned for six months from the Cypriots of Aris Limassol), the The squad of the “Rouge et Bleu” should experience other changes during the month of January. Before his dismissal a week ago, Nicolas Seube had once again set the arrival of an eccentric as a priority. If the former SMC coach is no longer in office, the needs for this position are more relevant than ever for a Caen club which is sinking day after day into a sporting crisis (16e and in the position of play-off at the end of the first leg, five points behind the first non-relegation). Our columnist Stat Malherbe used the data to find half a dozen matching profiles.
Getting loaned Mamadou Diakhon
During his mandate, Nicolas Seube had made it a priority to strengthen his team without his wish ever really being granted even if Amine Salama had been loaned by Reims on the last day of the winter transfer window a year ago. If the emblematic number 2 of the “Rouge et Bleu” is no longer in office, the need for an eccentric player still seems to be a priority for this Stade Malherbe. Moreover, two players of this profile could arrive during the month of January. What if Champagne leaders were tempted to turn again to Champagne to find their happiness? As for his Reims teammate at the time, the SMC staff could request the loan for six months of Mamadou Diakhon (under contract until 2026). Fast and powerful, this international in the French youth team has the qualities to destabilize opposing defenses. Despite his young age, this member of the 2005 generation (19 years old) has already accumulated significant experience (22 appearances in Ligue 1, half of which this season even if he has not yet tasted the joys of starting).
Relaunch Yassine Benrahou or Bilal Boutobba
Whether with Bordeaux (2018-December 2019) then Nîmes (January 2020-2023), Yassine Benrahou (25 years old) is well known on the pitches of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. For three seasons, the Franco-Moroccan has been playing at the Hajdut Split. But during this 2024-2025 financial year, the native of Blanc-Mesnil sits on the bench of the Croatian team most of the time with only seven appearances. His profile is completely different from that of Mamadou Diakhon: it is not not a dynamiter but his vision of the game, his technicality and the quality of his left foot could constitute an additional asset within the Weed attack.
In terms of minutes played, Bilal Boutobba (26 years old), who plays for Hatayspor, is in a comparable situation to Yassine Benrahou (175' of playing time). While he was part of the Clermont squad last season, this left-hander had favored a departure for Türkiye in order not to return to Ligue 2; a championship that he knew well under the colors of Niort (107 matches from 2020 to 2023). His choice could be different this winter.
And also…
His name was already mentioned in this section last year and his situation has not changed much. Since his successful loan to US Concarneau where he actively contributed to Thoniers' rise to Ligue 2, Axel Camblan (21 years old) failed to establish himself within the Brest squad. It must be said that competition is tough in a club that participates in the Champions League. Under contract until 2027, a loan cannot be ruled out. This type of transaction could also concern the Dutchman Eros Maddy (23 years old), totally barred from AJ Auxerre (L1) where he is linked until 2027. Last track proposed by Stat Malherbe and certainly not the one which will make the least noise. If Ethan Mbappé (18 years old) joined the club owned by his big brother, Kylian? However, the profile of the Lille striker, rather axial, does not seem to correspond perfectly to that sought after even if his only start of the season was in the right-wing position.
And why not a new goalkeeper…
Anthony Mandrea, Yannis Clementia, Anthony Mandrea… Since the start of the season, the two goalkeepers have been in the balance for the number 1 place in the Caen cages. For his first match at the head of SMC, coach Bruno Baltazar reinstalled the Algerian international as a starter after a break of six matches provided by the Martinican. We can ask ourselves if this competition does not harm the performances of the two main parties, especially since the ex-Angevin was taken aback by d'Ornano's public after having publicly expressed his desires elsewhere in the media. In this context, recruiting a new doorman would not constitute “the” solution.
Following this hypothesis, the profiles ofEtienne Green (24 years old), the ex-Stéphanois who only appeared twice this season on a scoresheet with Burnley (Championship), and Maxence Prévot (27 years old), sidelined at Louvain (Jupiler Pro League) this season, can constitute interesting options.
How does Stat Malherbe determine the profiles of identified players?
To establish its recruitment targets in the quest for an attacker for the SMC, Stat Malherbe uses the Wyscout platform which collects tens of thousands of events per match: number of passes attempted, successful, duels contested, shots… Behind , our columnist relies on an algorithm, which is based on thousands of data, allowing each action of a player to be evaluated. This algorithm values actions that increase the probability of scoring and penalizes those that increase the risk of conceding a goal. This evaluation is represented by a “value”. To calculate this “value”, the data events are compartmentalized according to six distinct “game moments”:
- dribbling
- faults (committed and suffered)
- defensive actions
- the passes
- availability (ability to make oneself available to receive the ball)
- the shots
Then, Stat Malherbe uses a rating scale called “20-80”: 50 indicating average performance, 20 mediocre and 80 exceptional. Each 10-point level corresponds to one standard deviation above or below this average. This scale cannot go below 20 or go above 80; 99.7% of the sample must fall within this gap. This scale is particularly widespread in baseball.
