David? Lacazette? Gomes? – GFFN’s Ligue 1 free agent XI | OneFootball

With the January transfer window up and running, teams are looking to strengthen their squads heading into the second part of the season. However, for those clubs planning further ahead, a whole raft of players, whose contracts expire at the end of the campaign, are now free to sign pre-contract agreements. Get French Football News compiles the strongest XI of soon-to-be free agents from Ligue 1.

Goalkeeper – Steve Mandanda (39) – Rennes

The Rennes goalkeeper remains prominent in the French football scene as he approaches his 40th birthday. Steve Mandanda has accrued valuable experience both at club and international level and remains the No.1 in a side that is aiming for a return to European football. His place in Les Rennais’ side is, however, in question. As his contract nears expiry, the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli, who forced him out at Olympique de Marseille, threatens his standing in the short term. Amid the mounting pressure and talk of Brice Samba’s impending arrival, he had a difficult match against OGC Nice at the weekend but his consistency over the course of the campaign shows he is still a good pick-up for many clubs in Ligue 1, or even for a Premier League side looking for a back-up option.

Left-back – Nicolás Tagliafico (32) – Lyon

Who wouldn’t want a recent World Cup winner in their squad? Nicolás Tagliafico continues to feature regularly at international and club level. For Olympique Lyonnais, he has two goals in 13 appearances this season, whilst he has participated in five encounters in Lyon’s successful Europa League campaign. Despite turning 32 in the summer, he is still a bundle of energy down the left and his attacking output evidences that. Due to the left-back’s high wages and OL’s financial situation, an extension to his expiring deal looks unlikely, whilst it also limits his options for a move elsewhere, potentially. Given that he wouldn’t start for many elite European clubs and given his prohibitive wages, which would put off more middling sides, it is difficult to see where exactly Tagliafico will land this summer.

Centre-back – Rasmus Nicolaisen (27) – Toulouse

Rasmus Nicolaisen has been an extremely consistent performer for Toulouse, having racked up 125 appearances for the club and effortlessly making the step-up from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1. With an imposing frame, he is strong in his one-on-one duels and rarely caught out-of-possession, making him a mainstay in a TéFéCé side that competed against some of the best in Europe in last season’s Europa League campaign. Entering his prime year, the former Denmark youth international is a tantalising prospect on the market and one that would slot in well in the vast majority of Ligue 1 sides, and in fact many in the lower part of the Premier League.

Centre-back – Chancel Mbemba (30) – Marseille

In what was an awful 2023/24 campaign for Olympique de Marseille, Chancel Mbemba was something of a bright spark. Combative and expressive, he embodied what OM is all about and it contrasted starkly to the performances of many of his teammates. However, he was one of the players to be sidelined in the wake of Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival. Ostracised from the first-team set-up, he is yet to play one single minute of football this season. He has options to leave this January, as he did in the summer, but as a matter of principle and as a means of retribution for his treatment at Marseille, he is insisting on leaving on a free transfer in the summer, rather than allowing his current club to see a single penny. He will represent a risk for many clubs. Mbemba will likely want a considerable signing-on fee, and for a player in his 30s that hasn’t played a single minute of professional football in 12 months (should he see out his deal at OM without playing), many clubs will be understandably put off.

Right-back – Kenny Lala (33) – Brest

Journeyman Kenny Lala is enjoying something of an end-of-career revival. When he arrived at Brest in January 2023, he wouldn’t have expected to be playing Champions League football 18 months later. The fomer Lens, Strasbourg an Olympiacos defender hasn’t looked out of place on Europe’s biggest stage, however. He has played in five of Brest’s matches in Europe and 19 in all competitions this season, scoring twice and registering one assist. A useful squad player who will command low wages, he is a perfect pick-up for many clubs looking to add some depth to their back line on the cheap, especially since he is also capable of filling in at left-back.

Left midfield – Rémy Cabella (34) – Lille

Rémy Cabella may turn 35 this year but he has accrued a vast experience in the world of football that would be a valuable asset for many clubs. Having played at Montpellier HSC, Marseille, AS Saint-Étienne, Newcastle United, Krasnodar, and now Lille OSC, he has been a mainstay in Europe’s top five divisions, and often in European competition, for over a decade. Despite his age, he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down either. He already has 23 appearances to his name this season, including three assists. His output is decreasing but he remains valuable both in and out of possession and is now represnting a more guiding presence on the pitch. Able to play anywhere in midfield, he is another player that would be valuable for any club looking to add depth on the cheap.

Centre midfield – Angel Gomes (24) – Lille

Angel Gomes represents and incredible and rare opportunity on the market. The former Manchester United man is in the ascendancy having made his England debut in 2024. It was a reward for two years of consistency at Lille, where he broadened his game and become a more complete player as a result. Bar his contract situation, he is a player that would easily be worth upwards of €30m. At just 24, the versatile midfielder, who can play as a No.6, No.8 or No.10, has his whole career ahead of him and wouldn’t look out of place in one of the Premier League’s so-called top six. He could become the centrepiece of his next club’s midfield, and for free, with no signs of contract renewal talks at LOSC.

Centre midfield – Pablo Rosario (27) – Nice

Pablo Rosario isn’t the most flashy midfielder but he does the nitty gritty and does so consistently at a high standard. He is a valuable player in the dressing room at OGC Nice and has played almost all over the pitch, proving a valuable utility man. He has played all across the back line and, for the most part, in the midfield for Le Gym, never looking out of place wherever he has been put and in whichever system he is deployed. He has even worn the captain’s armband on occasions. Like many players on this list, Rosario is a player that is ideal for a club looking to add depth on the cheap this summer.

Right midfield – Arnaud Nordin (26) – Montpellier

Arnaud Nordin hasn’t quite taken off in the way that many expected when he was showcasing his talent at Saint-Étienne. Injruies have halted him, as has Montpellier’s gradual decline since he arrived in the summer of 2022. He does, however, have 28 goal appearances in 73 games for MHSC, including four goals in 15 appearances this season. That is over a quarter of La Paillade’s total number of goals in the league this season. Not bad for a winger. Having turned 26 in the summer, he is entering his prime years and it would be intriguing to see how he would adapt to a higher level. Given the lack of financial risk, it would be worth a bet to find out.

Centre-forward – Jonathan David (24) – Lille

Of the players on this list, Jonathan David is both the most high-profile and the most coveted. The Canada international has been touted for big money moves to many of Europe’s elite in recent summers. Chelsea were reportedly interested last summer, whilst there is also interest from Barcelona, to name but two. His record for Lille is phenomenal having scored 101 goals in 210 appearances. He has 17 in 27 appearances this season, and having scored against Real Madrid, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid, he has shown that he isn’t simply a flat-track bully. Given that he would ordinarily cost upward of €60m, he represents incredible value, even if he will likely garner a considerable signing-on fee. There is, however, a chance that David stays at LOSC. Whilst there are strong indications that he will move on, he did state that talks over a renewal are ongoing and he added that there was a “50-50” chance that he would stay.

Centre- forward – Alexandre Lacazette (33) – Lyon

Alexandre Lacazette’s return to hs boyhood club has undeniably been an overwhelming success. He netted an incredible 31 goals in his first season back at Lyon, with only Kylian Mbappé outscoring the former Arsenal man in the league. He backed that up with 22 goals last season as OL lodged a magnificent comeback in the second half of the season, taking the club from the relegation zone to the Europa League places. At 33, he has eight already this season, including three in the Europa League. It shows that the OL captain is still deadly in front of goal and capable of playing at the highest level. He will leave OL this summer, as he has said publically. A move to Saudi Arabia was touted last summer and, due to his high wage demands, it is difficult to find alternative destinations for the former France international.

Bench

Anthony Lopes (34) – Nantes, Antoine Mendy (20) – Nice, Gabriel Osho (26) – Auxerre, Krépin Diatta (25) – Monaco, Mathias Pereira Lage (30) – Brest, Nampalys Mendy (32) – Lens, Joshua King (32) – Toulouse, Oussama Targhalline (22) – Le Havre, Jean-Philippe Gbamin (29) – Nantes.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle