Following the FFF’s announcement earlier on Wednesday, Tchouaméni appeared in a press conference later that day to react to being handed the captain’s armband.

“It is with a lot of honour that I take on this responsibility,” he said. ” I had a talk with the coach and then he informed me of his decision. I am happy oof course. I am very proud. the most important thing for me is to help my team, be it with France or with Real Madrid.” 

The former AS Monaco midfielder was also asked whether his appointment as captain was met with unanimity within the France dressing room. “Unanimity? I don’t know. It is important that everyone has the same ideas, want to win matches, and want to perform well. There are leaders in different ways, be it on the pitch, technical leaders, leaders through discourse and leaders by example. [To be a captain] you should tick two of these boxes.” 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

What is your reaction to Antoine Griezmann announcing his retirement from international football?

To be honest with you, I’m not really surprised because since the captaincy stories have come out about him and Kylian Mbappé, I think he was very disappointed about Deschamps’ decision, and following that situation, we’ve seen that Griezmann was struggling to show his best on the pitch and during the European tournament. He said he understood the criticism from the press and the fans that it was quite boring to watch the national team and he said it’s quite boring to play as well, so the captaincy and his comments in the press and the relationship between him and the way that he’s been treated by Deschamps, the relationship between him and Deschamps was not the best.

For the last 10 years, when Deschamps has to put the first XI on the paper, the first names would have always been Griezmann and Mbappé, but that was not the case for the last few months, and we could see that the confidence between both guys was not the best and the communication as well, so I’m not surprised at all.

I just want to thank Antoine for everything he’s done for the national team. I think he will be remembered as one of the best players ever in French history with the national team. He has achieved so much for the national team, so thank you very much, Antoine, for what you’ve done, and it was great to see you wearing the national shirt, but I’m not surprised at all, and I think after the European competition he had a lot of time to think about it to make the decision because obviously during the European competition, Deschamps used him in different positions, midfielder, on the right side, behind the strikers, so he was always moving tactically, and he was struggling to show his best, so I’m not surprised at all, this is the end for him so thank you, Antoine.

How much do you think the loss of Griezmann and potentially being without Mbappé will affect France in their upcoming Nations League fixtures?

Well, the fact that Antoine is not on the team anymore will be a big miss for us because we don’t have this kind of player technically; the vision, he (Griezmann) was the link between the midfield and the strikers all the time, he was delivering passes all the time, he was controlling the game, the tempo of the game, we don’t have that kind of player, we have so many talented players but not with the same qualities, and Antoine was a part of the group because he was probably the only one to bring what he could bring on the pitch. It will be difficult for Deschamps to replace him because of all his talents and his personality as well in the team so I wish the best of luck to Deschamps for finding a solution but it will be a big, big miss for the national team.

With Griezmann out and Mbppé possibly out too, do you anticipate Deschamps will continue employing the passive approach we saw at the Euros?

We could take the example of Spain controlling the game, bringing more technical qualities on the pitch instead of playing counterattack all the time and trying to give the ball to the wingers and try to make differences on the side all the time, I think we’ve all seen Deschamps’ approach to the game, it’s always give the ball to the wingers, and they’re going to make the difference. We need to get a plan B especially now that Griezmann is not in the squad anymore. I’m just worried because we need to improve more collectively with the ball instead of trying to gamble on individuals all the time. I think this is the main gap between what we’ve seen so far and what Deschamps wants to bring on the pitch, especially now that Griezmann is not on the team.

Is Didier Deschamps’ tactical approach with Les Bleus similar to former French coach Aimé Jacquet?

Definitely, you know Deschamps has been a defensive midfielder all throughout his career. He played in Italy for such a long time as well at Juventus, and we all know the tactics of Italy back in the days; it was specific, and don’t forget that we won the World Cup together in 1998 and the European tournament in 2000 and Aimé Jacquet the former manager was building for success from behind as well, a strong team, compact, very hard to beat, very hard to beak lines and Deschamps has been inspired by that and he has shown that for years with the national team.

He always said that the most important thing in a football game is not to concede goals before trying to score goals, and we’ve seen that for years now. I think a lot of people are frustrated about that and some players as well, so I don’t know what he’s going to do now that Griezmann is not in the team anymore, maybe he will make the squad even more defensive. I think he has no choice now, Deschamps needs to improve as well as a manager with the qualities he has in this squad, but he has been very influenced by what happened in 1998.

Your former team, Arsenal, have been accused of employing the “Dark Arts”; is that a fair label they’ve been branded with?

[It’s] common. Arsenal have been branded as a soft team with soft players for years and years and years. I’ve seen that back in my days as well. Players or teams try to play dark arts all the time, so I’m not surprised at all, and I’m very happy that they (Arsenal) try to do that because Manchester City have done that, Liverpool have done that, Manchester United have done that. There are so many players that have done that, to be honest with you, if you spoke about what happened against Manchester City, the dark arts,  trying to play with the referee, to try and get the Manchester City players frustrated, listen I’ve seen City doing that for years as well so it’s part of the game, so I’m not sure that Arsenal is trying to play dark arts because everybody is doing that.

Emmanuel Petit was speaking to Get French Football News on behalf of BetBrain.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre

AS Monaco played their first ever match on 20th September 1924 – an anniversary that will be celebrated during the match against Montpellier HSC at the Stade Louis II on Sautrday. What do the club have planned?

It will be a special night. It will be a moment to celebrate some good moments and some important people from our history. We have planned a lot of attractions both before and after the match for people that will be in the stadium, including hosting some iconic players from our history, and coaches that have made history over these past 100 years. [There will be] a special jersey on the pitch in order to show our respect for our past. There is a lot to come! We are very excited to host this game on Saturday. We will have Arsène Wenger, one of AS Monaco’s former managers and who became a legend. There will also be players like (Marco) Simone, (Eric) Abidal, (Delio) Onnis, (Claude) Puel, and (Jean-Luc) Ettori. There will be around 40 former AS Monaco players from different moments in our history. There will also be an exposition of the trophies in the stadium during the match, all of the iconic jerseys, and other animations both before and after the match to surprise our fans. 

In what is such a special season for the Principality club, how important is it to get off to such a great start?

This is the most important thing. We are working a lot on not distracting ourselves from the football project. Everything around [the club]: the excitement, the celebrations, it is important to the Principality and to our fans but we need to keep focused on our job on the pitch. Our players are showing themselves to be very strong, mentally especially. We have started the season in a very strong way as we have been pushing since the pre-season. But also having the chance to show themselves on a very good level in a top match against Barcelona in the Champions League at home. We have to keep this consistency on the pitch, which is the key to triggering everything else around. We are very proud of our coaching staff and our players so far for the way they are managing the ambitions on the pitch.

The latest win in Ligue 1, against Le Havre AC, means that Adi Hütter now has the best win percentage of any Monaco manager in the 21st century. Your first managerial appointment has been a successful one…

Of course [we are happy]. Adi really fits well with the way we work, the way we are in terms of an organisation. He has a clear playing idea and he is very simple in the way that he shares this with the players. Has also very positive leadership skills with the staff and the players and I am pretty sure that my feeling is the same as his and it is that we are step by step creating a good environment. It is not just about the coach or one or two players, it is about a lot of people working around Adi, providing the players the conditions. We are happy with the team of people we have here and strong compliments to our coach Adi, who is building a strong history here at AS Monaco.

How important was that win against Barcelona to show this young squad that they can compete at this level?

For sure. Firstly, it is a great three points, which is very important in the new Champions League format. To qualify to the pay-offs, which is our first objective in this competition, we know how important it is to collect as many points as possible. But it also shows our players, for some of whom it was their first CL level match, it shows them that we can, we can play on this level and we can build as a team. We must think as a team; there is no individual above the team spirit, the team goal, and I think we can use everything from that game in a positive way. We deserved to win the game, in my opinion. This is the most important thing – if we continue to perform well, the possibility of winning the coming games is higher and higher. 

Monaco have historically had some great runs in the Champions League. Is this cohort capable of doing something similar?

Clearly the potential is here. There are a lot of young players, a lot of talented players. A squad not only of XI but a squad capable of progressing. Maybe too early. The first stage is to try and qualify for the playoffs then it will depend on the kind of opponent in the play-off, and the kind of path that we have. If we can keep managing the good numbers that we have had, on the availability of players, what ill be the impact of so many FIFA breaks before December? There is a long way to go in the season and so we have to keep focused on managing details daily to make ourselves strong. But we truly believe in the potential of this group. 

Prior to the match against Barcelona, Adi Hütter talked about “presenting” Monaco’s young talents to the world. How important is competing in the Champions League for this facet of the strategy?

It is important because it is totally connected to our strategy. We discussed a lot about this in the transfer market, where we signed four players, three of them around 20 years old. Sometimes this goes against fans’ expectations but we believe in this way. That’s the way we have the opportunity to see an 18-year-old striker scoring against Barcelona at the Stade Louis II. This is the history of the club. This is the way we believe we should keep working. So having so many young players on the pitch playing a game of this level for sure will be a big, big step to allow them to become higher-level players in the future and this is the strategy that we have to keep loyal to our playing principles and also our long-term strategy. 

Can we talk about a Monaco title challenge this season?

For me, it is too early [to talk about the title]. At this stage last year, we were leading the league. We weren’t in third. In the end, PSG finished nine points in front of us. In my view, we should keep focused on the daily job, game by game, and if we manage to be in a similar position in April, with the same points gap, then maybe we can discuss what can we do in the last four or five games in order to compete for the second position again or even for the title, but at this stage, it is too soon to discuss this possibility. PSG continue to be a strong club in the league, as they have been in previous years. The PSG project is not related to one player, it is related to a system that has been investing strongly for over 10 years to be on the level that they are. They also have a good coach, good people working there, good squad, and also this season, we have Marseille showing themselves in a very good level. We can see the results of very high investment from the summer, both on and off the pitch. This is good for the league. We expect the league to be more competitive, more attractive and we also expect to keep ourselves in the top three.

How important is it that a club can mount a challenge on PSG’s recent dominance in Ligue 1?

For me, the league has a lot of potential to be developed and worked on. I have spoken about this from about the third month that I arrived here. The match is very attractive in Ligue 1, it is nice to watch, and very dynamic. A lot of clubs play attacking football. You have a lot of interesting profiles and talented players. For me, the fact that PSG have won so many leagues in recent years is not an excuse for the league to be less attractive. Bundesliga have had the same. It happens everywhere. In the Bundesliga, Bayern won the title 11 years in a row, last year was the first year that the sequence was broken. No-one ever spoke about the Bundesliga being less attractive because of this. So, we are fully supporting the league in working more on the international promotion of the league and the matches. We are connected to this strategy. There is a new cycle starting at the LFP and we hope that we can progress French football as a product. I personally believe that there is a lot that we can do. 

We are already seeing the importance of squad rotation in Ligue 1. Do you think this could be a decisive element in deciding the title?

Again, the speech of trusting in the squad is also reflected in Adi’s decisions. He has not had any hesitation to rotate key players, as he did on Sunday (against Le Havre), with young players on the pitch with the responsibility of playing at a high level. Our playing style is connected to our physicality so having the obligation to play two-and-a-half days after a 21:00 match on Thursday, to be on the pitch at 15:00 on Sunday, if you don’t rotate, it is basically impossible to give energy and the physicality, which are our principles. That is why it is important to have a squad that we believe in and it allows the coach to make the rotations as he did last week. 

Whilst there will be tributes to the past on Saturday, the club’s future is uncertain with Dmitry Rybolovlev in talks about a potential sale. Can you provide any update on this situation?

The process is ongoing, nothing concrete has been announced or has happened. What I want to highlight is the transparency and support of our president throughout the whole process. The president was part of the summer strategy, decisions, and investment. He is very connected to us and I speak to him basically every week about key decisions that we must take together here at the club. The president, Adi, and I had a conversation last week in terms of what we are doing for the season. This is what we need at this stage – clarity and support from the president. This will make AS Monaco stronger and this is our main focus. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Speaking exclusively to Get French Football News, Hateley also shared an anecdote, which he believes may have been key in allowing Wenger to understand the British culture when he arrived at Arsenal. “Glenn (Hoddle) and I, we’d fly on a private plane whenever we were going to a match in France. After every game, we’d sit at the back of the plane with a couple of beers each and we’d drink and talk about the game. All the French players would sit amongst it but wouldn’t drink, but they smoked a lot. Wenger came back to us and said, ‘You British, you do drink a lot’. I said, ‘Not a lot but I drink after a game. It’s part of our culture to have a couple of beers and talk about the game, have a debrief’. It is what we used to game. We said ‘We’re not hurting anybody, you’re guys (French players) are smoking. Can you tell them to stop smoking? That’s damaging my health,” said Hateley.

The Englishman then detailed Wenger’s response. “He took that all in and we got the French boys to start coming to the back of the plane and it formed a unity. We’d all have a couple of drinks, nothing too excessive, and what it would have done, going to Arsenal, and going into British culture, it would have set him ready to deal with that.” 

Wenger would go on to manage 1234 games for Arsenal between 1996 and 2018. In that time, he won three Premier League titles, including an invincible campaign in 2003/04, as well as seven FA Cups.

You can read GFFN’s full interview with Mark Hateley HERE

Mark Hateley was speaking to Get French Football News exclusively on behalf of Online Slots Real Money.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

What is your overriding memory of your time at AS Monaco?

It was a breath of fresh air for me. I was coming from Milan where I couldn’t go out or do anything. I had young kids, and a young family, and it was completely the other side of the coin. You could just walk around the streets; it was just a breath of fresh air for me. It was a different way of life, a different type of football and with a young Arsène Wenger, a different type of coach. I asked Arsène, ‘How would you like me to play?’ He said, ‘Just like [how you played] in Milan.’ So that was it – straightforward. 

How did you find Wenger’s management style?

Listen, he was young, I got that, inexperienced, inexperienced at dealing with big players too, probably, I got that. He is a super, intelligent man, super intelligent and a very strong personality. Energy coming through the ceiling. He always had a tracksuit on all the time, and was always travelling; if we had a day off, he’d be off to see a reserve team game in Belgium, Germany, or wherever. He was so completely focused on where he wanted to go and how to get there. As I said, the players were all there, the experience was there too. We had some great players and we brought in a young Youssouf Fofana. He was very fast. There were a couple of really good younger players in and around the squad but Arsène was always about fitness, bringing in a different methodology to training. When Glenn (Hoddle) joined, we stretched before training and after training and that was a whole new thing for Glenn Hoddle. He said he could make us as fit as we’ve ever been in our life and then that takes us to the next level in terms of performance. I think that was his speciality, as well as his knowledge of the game. 

The word ‘aura’ is thrown around quite a lot nowadays. Did Wenger have that? 

Definitely, without a shadow of a doubt. You could feel that energy coming from him. He used to take the runs before training. If we ran, he would run at the front and lead us all out. He was a fit boy. That is infectious when you see a manager like that. Then there was the experience of Patrick Battiston, Jean-Luc Ettori, Manuel Amaros, Luc Sonor, all these players that were French heroes basically. He had a lot to work with. When you’re a young manager, with not the greatest football career, it is a long way to go to engage or provide input into those established players, but he did it. He had a fiery temper too. He could let rip and he wouldn’t miss you, but he understood footballers, he listened to footballers. That is how he learnt. 

Glenn and I, we’d fly on a private plane whenever we were going to a match in France. After every game, we’d sit at the back of the plane with a couple of beers each and we’d drink and talk about the game. All the French players would sit amongst it but wouldn’t drink, but they smoked a lot. He came back to us and said, ‘You British, you do drink a lot’. I said, ‘Not a lot but I drink after a game. It’s part of our culture to have a couple of beers and talk about the game, have a debrief’. It is what we used to game. We said ‘We’re not hurting anybody, you’re guys (French players) are smoking. Can you tell them to stop smoking? That’s damaging my health.’ He took that all in and we got the French boys to start coming to the back of the plane and it formed a unity. We’d all have a couple of drinks, nothing too excessive, and what it would have done, going to Arsenal, and going into British culture, it would have set him ready to deal with that. He is a great man, a smart chap. 

In hindsight, do you think you were part of a golden age of French football, at least from an Anglo-centric point of view?

Without a shadow of a doubt. Marseille were a good side, PSG too, as well as Bordeaux. There were lots of good sides. In the recent past, PSG are cash-rich so nobody can make that league interesting. Five, six, seven years ago, Monaco tried to get on that level, get on a level footing with PSG, but it’s an uphill battle. I think if anyone takes that title off PSG, it will be a monumental effort. 

Do you still follow AS Monaco? 

I get Portsmouth’s results, AC Milan’s results, and AS Monaco’s results. They all flash up on my phone every week. Those are the teams that I watch. Every club helped me get to where I got to in the end. Coventry City and Portsmouth, they helped me tremendously to do what I achieved, which was a distant dream. They helped me achieve it way before I thought that I ever could. Milan at 22, then off to Monaco, winning a title at 26, and then back to Britain to play for Rangers. I thank everyone, and I always do. 

Mark Hateley was speaking to Get French Football News exclusively on behalf of Online Slots Real Money.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Ligue 1 got off to a flying start the weekend before last with victories for PSG, Marseille, and Monaco but in the UK no one was able to watch it – how damaging was it for Ligue 1 that there was no TV deal?

It was a big problem. We know that the Premier League has a lot of investment around the world. Serie A and the Bundesliga are the next two. We don’t know what the French were demanding for the TV rights. TNT [who owned the rights in the UK until the end of last season] maybe looked at the viewing figures and thought we’re not going to pay that type of money if we’re not going to get a good return on it. And this is the problem, I think French football – obviously Paris Saint-Germain are very good – is the fifth league that people would like to watch.

The strength of the league, we all know that England, Spain, Germany, and Italy are ahead of France now. And the only way that France can change that is by keeping the talent they’ve got. At the Euros, I think it was five players from the French league in the French squad. Which is not a lot. Obviously, that shows that players that are doing well at their clubs in France are soon shipped off to another country for good money. 

There’s not a lot of money in French football, apart from Paris Saint-Germain. Yes, there are clubs which will pay reasonable wages i.e. Marseille, Lyon, Monaco, but after that I’ve got to say the majority of them are trying to find young players make them into players and sell them on. That’s the way French football has gone for quite a few years now. 

With Mbappé leaving for Real Madrid and young talent being sold almost as soon as they emerge do you think there’s still a market for the French game outside of France? 

I think if you’re a footballer you’ll still enjoy it. It’s still a good league. I don’t think it’s a poor league. I think it’s a decent league. There are other leagues now that are more favourable to the TV companies or to the general public. People like to see names and people like to see good football, but they want to see teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

I was at Marseille for three years. It was a massive club, and it still is, but in the last ten years – maybe even more – they haven’t really invested in a team, which made them one of the strongest sides in Europe. So they’ve been sort of been hoping that they can nick into the Champions League [and] generate money to bring new players in but it’s not been working for them. 

If you look at the market now in France, Paris can still spend money if they need to. But the rest of the clubs are looking for bargains and hoping that they can keep them for one or two years and sell them on for profit. 

After landing Roberto De Zerbi, Marseille signed several players from England (Højbjerg, Koné, Greenwood, and Rowe) – what’s the strategy behind this?

I think the French look at the Premier League and they pick up players who have come to their time in England. Højbjerg’s done well for Tottenham, and he’s still an international for Denmark, but there were no takers in the Premier League thinking he’s better than what we’ve got. He’s a good option for Marseille and as I say the level of the league in France is not the Premier League. He’s a player who can play in the Premier League we know that but in the French League, he would think he’d be stronger. 

Greenwood, we know his history and circumstances. I think it’s a good thing for Greenwood to play abroad and to get out of the way. He did well in Spain which alerted Marseille. He’s come out of the blocks very quick. You can see him being a Marseille player. And if it goes the way it’s going, he won’t be at Marseille very long. People will be looking to double that fee probably.

There are really good players in England who are probably thinking that it hasn’t happened for them yet or they’ve reached that age where people are thinking I won’t pay that money for them. And they are good value for the French league because they’re coming out of the Premier League which is a stronger league. 

Back when you played for Marseille, France was one of the strongest leagues in Europe, what would it take for the league to regain their status?

Money. Simple as. Listen some of the clubs still get massive crowds. Marseille do. Paris Saint-Germain do. Monaco have never got a crowd. They had money but they never got big crowds. Lyon were a big club. Rennes and Lille have always done well at producing players and selling them on. Lens have got a good fan base but could be a bigger club. Saint-Étienne if you could get them going, they’re a decent-sized club as well. So there’s five, six, seven, eight big clubs. 

There’s a lot of French clubs that could [challenge] but unfortunately, they don’t have the owners and they have the money to go out into the market and compete against Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Barcelona, and Real Madrid – apart from PSG, they’re the only ones that could compete in that market at the minute. 

You look at England and you’ve got 10 clubs spending very good money on players. Bundesliga spends money. The Spanish league spends money now, it’s not just Real Madrid and Barcelona, you look at Atlético and other teams they’re bringing players in. It’s a very competitive market out there, and for France to get back out there they have to spend the money that they unfortunately haven’t got. 

Chris Waddle was speaking to Get French Football News exclusively on behalf of NewBettingOffers.co.uk, who have the latest football betting offers. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Arsenal once again missed out narrowly on the title last season, based on their performances and work in the transfer market, do you believe Mikel Arteta’s side can go one step further and be crowned Premier League champions this term? 

Yes, definitely. I think the team has improved so much over the last two seasons. Arsenal are also working really well in the transfer market. They are also working to add new players with the window closing at the end of the month, so I think there will be more players coming to the club.

However, when you look at City, they are still the reference in the Premier League. They are still the team to beat. You can see that the gap between City and Arsenal has closed a lot during the last two seasons. And I’m pretty sure when you look at Arsenal, this team is young and they play the same football on the pitch which makes me feel sure it will be difficult for City this season to keep their crown. Nobody would’ve said two seasons ago, that Arsenal would compete for the title but I’m pretty sure this season it will be difficult for City to win it.

Continuing on the topic of Arsenal, Declan Rice is someone who impressed during the summer at EURO 2024, as someone who played in the position, do you believe he is the best defensive midfielder in the world? 

Definitely, he is one of the best. I am a huge fan of Declan. Even when he was playing for West Ham. I was very happy, two seasons ago, when Arsenal bought him. He is a born leader. He has also improved a lot as well and can play different positions – but his winning mentality, and as well his personality and character is something that is very good in the dressing room and also on the pitch.

And, yes for me, Declan Rice is one of the best midfield players for me in modern football. He can still improve a lot, but for me, I am very happy with him. I mean when he signed for Arsenal, nobody would have predicted the season he would have for the first season and he did very well. He’s been playing like he was at the club for the last ten years and you can see he fits perfectly in Arteta’s system. For me, he is the captain of this team. There are few players within the team that can wear the armband, but he always gives everything on the pitch and he is one of the leading men of Arsenal. 

I wanted to talk about another of your former clubs – Chelsea. As a former player, what are your thoughts on the club’s transfer policy? They have been very heavily focused on recruiting lots of young players again this summer. 

I can understand spending a lot of money on young players, but I don’t get it when you have 40, or 45 players. If I am the manager at the club, I am thinking what the hell – I am managing so many players. The main problem for Chelsea is stability, on the bench but also on the pitch. Every single transfer window, they change players – they buy, they sell – you don’t know sometimes what they are trying to do. 

I am very upset that Gallagher has to be sold because of financial rules. To be honest with you, sometimes I don’t get it. I don’t understand their sporting vision. Again, if I am a Chelsea player, even if I sign a contract with them, I don’t have a guarantee I will be with them in 6 months.

I think they are lacking experience at the minute. Especially, in the big big positions in the team. They lack experienced players, they bought so many young players, and they have so many players, sometimes I have the feeling they are trying to do what they do in American sports. This is not American sports, this is European football. You need consistency with your players. When you buy so many players, it brings confusion to the minds of players. The fact you don’t have big big experienced players to protect the younger players causes troubles. I don’t get it. 

I don’t know why they splash so much money every window and then are forced to sell players due to financial rules. Sometimes I am lost when I read articles about the transfer window because Chelsea are always interested in signing players. They are there all the time. Stability has been the main problem at Chelsea since Abramovich left. 

Finally, how do you see the new Ligue 1 season unfolding at the top end of the division? 

I think Paris Saint-Germain will keep their crown because there is no competition with them in the French league. I think Monaco – I saw what they did against Barcelona – if they can avoid injuries, they will finish second just like last season. Marseille, I have seen what they are doing in the transfer market, I think that they will be there as well. Lille, as well, I think this is my prediction for the top 4 in the table. 

Emmanuel Petit was speaking to Get French Football News exclusively on behalf of BetVictor, who have the latest football betting offers. 

GFFN | Liam Wraith

Having to wear a mask has not helped matters either. Mbappé has described wearing it as an “absolute horror”, with his peripheral vision severely hindered. Contending with both issues, the forward has struggled to display his usual form, scoring just once, from the spot. 

It is for that reason that former France international Frank Leboeuf has called on Didier Deschamps to drop his captain and replace him with Bradley Barcola (21). “If we look at the individuals – I think there is a real Kylian Mbappé problem,” began the 1998 World Champion in an exclusive interview with Get French Football News. “If you are injured and you can’t play at 100%, you can only play at 50%, then you shouldn’t play. For me, you’re not serving France well and you’re not serving yourself well, because you’re criticised, you can’t play to your best level. I can’t see the use in playing Mbappe at 50% – I think that Bradley Barcola would do better.“

>> READ | Get French Football News’ full interview with 98′ World Champion Frank Leboeuf

It seems unlikely that Leboeuf’s advice will be heeded by Deschamps, who looks set to start Mbappé against Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 on Tuesday. 

Lebeouf was speaking to Get French Football News in association with BoyleSports, who offer the latest Euro 2024 Betting.

GFFN | Jeremy Smith x Luke Entwistle