As reported by L’Équipe and in the British media, the French defender will leave the Red Devils and join Villarreal, signing a five-year deal with the Spanish club. L’Équipe understands that the deal will be worth around €10m, whilst Manchester United will have a buy-back clause inserted into the permanent transfer. 

Whilst Manchester United will make a considerable profit on the France youth international, who arrived at the club back in 2020 for €4m, National 1 side FC Sochaux will also be a major benefactor of the move. The French side, currently in the third tier, included a sell-on percentage into the deal that saw Kambwala join Manchester United four years ago. 

As a result, Sochaux will receive a bit over €500,000 when the move taking Kambwala from Manchester United to Villarreal is completed, according to L’Équipe.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Benjamin Quarez further confirms the report by stating that Kambwala will undergo a medical tomorrow, with the centre-back in line to sign a five-year contract with Villarreal.

Kambwala is a highly promising centre-back who had captained the Manchester United U19s and has represented the France U16s. The defender had joined the English club from FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in 2020 making his debut last season in a 2-0 loss to West Ham. 

Willy Kambwala – “Another signal and a message for the future of Manchester United”

It had been assumed that Kambwala was slowly being prepared for a sustained run in the team, especially with Erik ten Hag calling his performance against Liverpool in April “another signal and a message for the future of Manchester United.” 

Manchester United have not given up on Kambwala’s future, but for now, his development will take place in Spain where he will have more consistent game time in the first team. Something that could not be assured in England.

GFFN | Nick Hartland

On the 1st of March as FC Rouen lined up against Sochaux-Montbéliard in the Championnat National, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad were playing a top-of-the-table battle in Saudi Arabia. It was a game that should have been a demonstration of the vast quality that was procured over the summer. 

Both teams had made major invests in a summer that appeared as if it would define a new direction in the global game (and perhaps it still will), as Kalidou Koulibaly, Yassine Bounou, and Sergej Milinković-Savić collided against Fabinho, N’Golo Kanté, and Romarinho. And yet, only 5000 viewers tuned into the battle at the top to watch Al-Hilal’s 3-1 victory and their continued march to the title. 

In France, the figures have been concerning for a league that boasts the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, Riyad Mahrez and Neymar. And it is a trend that appears to be reflected across the globe as no broadcaster across 130 territories is willing to share the amount of viewers that it has. 

Increases in North Africa and the Middle East for Saudi Pro League

Canal+ when contacted by L’Équipe was no exception and did not wish to provide an assessment of its deal lasting two seasons. However, behind the scenes, the league is allegedly receiving almost no audience to speak of. 

The SPL claimed to the paper that “Obtaining accurate and comprehensive data on television audiences, particularly on a global scale, is a significant challenge. However, this is a recurring topic in our discussions with our partners and we are trying to improve our ability to collect this data.” 

Although it is thought that the league has had a significant increase in audiences across the Middle East and North Africa, which has not been a simple task for the organisation without the backing of the region’s largest broadcaster. 

BeIN sports have had a lukewarm reception to the league, as the Qatari company have been reluctant to support their diplomatic rival’s project. A softening of relations between the two countries has not been enough for the broadcaster to invest in the Saudi Arabian league. Especially with Saudi Arabia looking to match Qatar when they look to host the 2034 World Cup.

‘More competitive than Ligue 1’

On the pitch and off the pitch, Ronaldo has become an ambassador for the competition, having previously stated that the league is “More competitive than Ligue 1.” However, despite his and the other summer recruits’ appeal, the fans have not been filling out the stadiums. 

Only Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal have managed to maintain high attendances, while across the country stadiums are usually only ever filling a third of their stadium, including the reigning champions Al-Ittihad. 

Part of the problem is that the SPL has done little to differentiate itself from the European Leagues, and it is competing therefore in a market with historically established audiences. 

Speaking to L’Équipe, Cyril Linette, the former sports director for Canal+ argues this point, “This league is like the others… [It] should challenge the norms, play the entertainment card to its fullest… A competition like this, which starts from scratch, if it does not create conditions for differentiation, it has no chance of succeeding.” 

As the competition currently stands, it’s hard to see how it can effectively break into the European markets. The attraction of top talent does not seem to be enough for the SPL, and outside of one of the Saudi Arabian teams entering a European competition there seems to be little hope or interest in the league succeeding in catching viewers’ attention from the established and dominant markets.

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Opportunities for the 19-year-old at the Groupama Stadium this season were likely to be limited with both Anthony Lopes and Rémy Riou ahead of him in the goalkeeping pecking order at Lyon. Rémy Riou has been deputising for Lopes who has been out with injury in recent weeks. 

FC Sochaux have been embroiled in financial trouble over the summer and were on the brink of bankruptcy amid the DNCG’s decision to relegate them to the third tier of French football. However, the club were saved after Jean-Claude Plessis completed a takeover of the club. Subsequently, Patouillet will be hoping to help them secure promotion back to Ligue 2 this season. 

GFFN | Liam Wraith

Should the DNCG give a greenlight to Sochaux, the Doubs club would be eligible to play in National 1. Sochaux would then ask the French FA to be drafted into the third-tier. The league is starting today. However, should the DNCG refuse Sochaux’s budget, the sale agreement between Nenking and the new owners would become null and void. Consequently, the Chinese Conglomerate would file Sochaux for bankruptcy before Belfort’s Commercial Court.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

Romain Peugeot, a private investor and the great-grandson of the club’s founder, tried to raise the required funds to save Sochaux, to no avail. On Wednesday, Peugeot then tried to appeal the CNOSF ruling before the Paris’ administrative court. However, according to L’Est Républicain, this appeal was denied as well. With Sochaux likely unable to prepare a budget for a season in the third-tier, the club is now heading for an imminent bankruptcy. Peugeot has reportedly thrown in the towel for his proposed takeover of Sochaux.

With Ligue 2 set to start as early as this Saturday, the League has announced that it has triggered Article 520 of their administrative rules, allowing the last relegated Ligue 2 side to be drafted back into the second-tier. The LFP added that Annecy will therefore kick-off their Ligue 2 season this Saturday against Guingamp. Due to the very short delay to stage the game, Annecy v Guingamp will be played behind closed doors.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval

The DNCG – French football’s financial watchdog – had handed the former Ligue 1 side the sanction over their financial troubles earlier this summer.

An attempt to save the club saw Romain Peugeot – the grandson of the team’s founder – join forces with local investors and present a project to acquire it for a symbolic euro from Chinese conglomerate Nenking. However, the takeover would only go through if the club had remained in Ligue 2.

However, reports this weekend indicated that Nenking had pulled out of an agreement whereby they would provide €4m of the €12m requested by the DNCG. Peugeot had sought to secure a Plan B to bring together the remaining funds, ultimately to no avail. Reportedly, the CNOSF commission believes that there were too many new elements to the project that Sochaux put forward, with respect to the one they presented to the DNCG. The decision means that Annecy are expected to retain their spot in Ligue 2, four days before the start of the season.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin  

The former Ligue 1 side were relegated to the third division for administrative reasons, and have found themselves on the brink of bankruptcy. Romain Peugeot, the grandson of the club’s founder, and backed by local investors, had agreed a deal to buy the club from Nenking. The deal would see him provide three-quarters of the €12m requested by the DNCG, French football’s financial watchdog.

However, Nenking, who have been in charge since 2020, have now decided not to put the remaining €4m on the table, according to the senator for the Territoire de Belfort department Cédric Perrin, speaking to AFP. 

According to France Bleu, Peugeot has in any case now become the owner of Sochaux, with Nenking completely withdrawing in exchange for a symbolic euro. However, the sale is dependent on the club’s appeal with the French football authorities being accepted. Their appeal with the CNOSF – the French Olympic Committee – will take place tomorrow afternoon. The committee will give an advisory opinion, with the FFF executive committee then due to make a definitive decision. 

France Bleu add that the DNCG are no longer asking for €12m, but rather €9.5m following the sales of Eliezer Mayenda to Sunderland and Abdallah Nour to Guingamp. Peugeot had reportedly anticipated Nenking’s withdrawal, and has called on other investors to bridge the gap.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin

Mayenda’s move to the Stadium of Light was on hold last week. Whilst a deal was all but concluded, the French club froze the deal as Sochaux looked to find a buyer to save themselves from bankruptcy. According to France Bleu, Romain Peugeot reached an agreement to sign the Ligue 1 club on Wednesday. They will now appeal to retain their place in Ligue 2. 

Within the club’s difficult financial context, Sochaux were looking for a higher fee for Mayenda, but recent developments, as well as further negotiations, have now seemingly facilitated the Spain youth international’s move to Sunderland. L’Équipe are reporting that a deal has finally been struck in the past hours. The deal is worth just over €1m and includes 25% of a future sale. Mayenda will now undergo a medical with the Championship club. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

According to France Bleu, the grandson of the club’s founder, Romain Peugeot, has reached an agreement with the current owners, Chinese conglomerate Nenking, to take the club back into the hands of the Peugeot family.

After long negotiations involving Peugeot and Sochaux president Frankie Yau on Monday, a letter of intention was signed between the parties involved. Peugeot, along with local investors, will put €8m on the table, with Nenking adding €4m to reach the €12m sum that the club needed in order to attempt an appeal to keep their place in Ligue 2.

The move is expected to save Sochaux from bankruptcy, with Peugeot becoming majority shareholder (67%) and Nenking keeping a stake of one third. The latter still intend to sell the club, and are expected to be reimbursed further down the line. 

The club will now be hoping for their appeal with the French Olympic Committee to be accepted – for that to happen, the €12m needs to be in the club’s accounts as soon as possible. In any case, the club will return to the Peugeot family, eight years after the car manufacturer sold it. The team was founded in 1928 by Jean-Pierre Peugeot, specifically for the company workers.