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The GFFN 44 Zinedine FERHAT Club: Nîmes Olympique Born: 03/03/1993 Position: Forward At Club Since: 2019 League 100Apps 2020: 21 2020 In a year unlike any other, we’re happy and proud to have come together to bring you the Get French Football News 100 2020. In a year when many may have endured heartbreak, loss, dejection, and grief in very real terms, putting what has happened on the football pitch in stark relief to the world around us. It is true, of course, that what we should be prioritising in a difficult time is our mental and physical health, as well as that of those around us, rather than football. But even if there are more important things in life (and there are), we should also acknowledge the positive role that sport can play in our lives. Even if virtually, fandom brings us together, connecting us with a global network of supporters, each of us as eager as the last to debate the merits of Memphis Depay, agonise over Dimitri Payet’s inconsis- tent form, or get into a lather over how Kylian Mbappé — isn’t — top of this list. To that end, we welcome debate and conjecture over these players rankings and inclusions, albeit with the caveat that with such a small sample size (most French-based teams played just 26 League Apps 2020), there is necessar- ily more variance, and a good (or poor) run of form stretching a half dozen matches or so can have an outsize effect on a player’s placement. Still, though, this was once again an enjoyable exercise in what was an historic year for French football, given the success of Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions’ League. French football’s talent level in many ways has never been higher, and while yes, there is a capital-heavy sense to the upper reaches of our rankings, the brilliance of the likes of Lyon, Rennes and Lille mean that there is much quality be found outside of Paris as well: whether it been in the teenage brilliance of Edu- ardo Camavinga, the all-action play of Benjamin André, or the ebullience of Andy Delort at Montpellier. Too, the relative youth of many players on this list is also a potent reminder of the continual churn of talent emerging from France and exceptional ability to spot the best up-and-coming players. Gabriel, Wesley Fofana, Ibrahima Diallo, player who we selected last year have, in the twelve months since, moved to England and become integral parts of their sides, while others continue to be tipped for a move abroad. Which players among this year’s list will be the next to take a big step forward? While we’re not blessed with a crystal ball, we are uniquely positioned to be able to spot the next big thing in France more readily than most, and it’s similarly an enjoyable part of this guide. To conclude, for those interested, here is a bit more about how we have done these rankings: The Get French Football News 100 comprises our selection of the top one hundred talents that French football has to offer, judged solely on their performances in 2020. To be eligible for the GFFN 100, the player must have been a registered squad member of a Ligue 1 or a Ligue 2 club on the 31st December 2020. Players that are eligible are judged on all their professional appearances in 2020, regardless of wheth- er or not they were playing abroad for a part of the calendar year. This applies to the international appearances they might have accumulated as well. Players are ranked in descending order: with the highest-rated talent ranked 1st and the 100th highest-rated talent ranked 100th. A negative (-) sign with a number next to it shows that the player has dropped in ranking compared to last year’s performance and by how many places, and vice versa with a positive (+) sign. “NEW” de- notes a player who is making a new entry into the Get French Football News 100, not historically, but in comparison with last year. A dash “-” shows that the player’s ranking is unchanged from last season. Eric Devin Chief Features Writer Get French Football News Mounir CHOUIAR Club: Dijon FCO Born: 1999/01/23 Position: Winger 100 At Club Since: 2019 (NEW) League Apps 2020: 20 Ligue 1 is well-known as a hub for talent production, including the continual discovery of at- tackers who excel at dribbling from an early age. The most recent exports from this group have been that of Allan Saint-Maximin and Marcus Thuram, now of Newcastle United and Gladbach, who have made significant impacts at the clubs they left Ligue 1 for. Mounir Chouiar could end up following the same trajectory very soon as he proved in 2020 that he is the next up in the line of talented young dribblers to emerge from France. It is fair to say that the suspension and ultimate truncated end of the 2019/20 campaign due to COVID-19 benefitted Dijon, who were fixed in a relegation battle with Chouiar, who had be- come the sides creative fulcrum, out with a sprained ankle until the end of March at the very least. Without his attacking, it was likely that DFCO would have slipped into the relegation zone. L’Équipe reported late in the summer transfer window that Chouiar was not part of the squad in a home game against Brest because of transfer reasons, having been targeted by Premier League outfits such as Leeds, Arsenal and Wolves. Despite Dijon’s poor start to the 2020/21 season, Chouiar has continued to display why he is a key player and one who they will rely on for Ligue 1 survival. Only Reims and relegated Tou- louse scored less than Dijon’s 27 goals in 28 games in 2019/20 where surprisingly, Chouiar did not register a single assist. However, looking at his underlying numbers it is clear that the rea- son for this lack of assist production was more related to his teammates’ finishing, rather than the quality of his chance creation. In that season, the former Lens winger laid on an average 2.6 key passes for his teammates, fifth best in the league. Those key passes are bolstered by the fact that Chouiar takes the majority of his side’s set pieces and often delivers well into dangerous areas with a good use of dip on the ball. It is impressive to find that only Dimitri Payet created more shot actions from dead balls in 2019/20. However, it is Chouiar’s dribbling ability that really makes him standout and leads to chances for his side. He completed an average of 4.5 dribbles last season with a very strong 67% suc- cess rate and sat sixth for creating shots from dribbles in the league per 90 minutes. It is clear that Chouiar is dangerous going forward in a number of ways and should he continue to post similar numbers in his second top flight season, he will rightfully earn a move further afield come the summer. Vincent PAJOT Club: FC Metz Born: 1990/08/19 Position: Midfield 99 At Club Since: 2020 (NEW) League Apps 2020: 15 While 2020 has been a year of frustration and stagnation for many, Vincent Pajot may look back with more fondness than most. Apparently well past his best, he has this year re-estab- lished himself as a reliable, talented player deserving of his continued presence at the highest level. At the beginning of his career, Pajot was destined for greater things. Joining Rennes just be- fore turning 17, he soon won the Coupe Gambardella alongside the likes of Yann M’Vila and Yacine Brahimi. While captain of the reserves, he signed his first professional contract before being sent for a loan spell at Ligue 2 club Boulogne. His performances earned him France U21 recognition and persuaded then-Rennes coach Frédéric Antonetti to give him his first team de- but. Over the next four years he became a regular for the “Rouge-et-Noir”, serving as the cen- tre point of a three-man midfield and providing the key transition between defence and attack. This successful period was, however, also held back by the first handful of the 20 injury lay-offs that Pajot has endured throughout his career. After another disrupted season, Pajot moved to Saint-Étienne in 2015, enjoying three further campaigns of solid if unspectacular football, injuries preventing him building up a real head of steam: the fact that Pajot has never managed 30 Ligue 1 matches in one season speaks for it- self. After a disappointing 18 months at Angers during which he failed to hold down a first team slot, his career seemed to be petering out. His loan move to Metz on the final day of 2019 was therefore not met with huge excitement by “Grenat” fans. However, under former coach Antonetti’s oversight, Pajot has been – to an ex- tent – reborn. The team was 18th in the table at the turn of the year but, thanks in great part to Pajot’s guile and metronomic performances in the centre, he even provided three rare assists, the club’s form turned around, Les Grenats ending the shortened season in 15th, clear of the relegation zone and frustrated not to have the chance to push higher up the table. Metz took up Pajot’s purchase option and the beginning of the 2020/21 season has followed a similar path: despite frustrating narrow defeats to Monaco, Lille and PSG, Pajot helped Metz to wins over Reims, Lorient and Saint-Étienne.

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