Football Season Guide

It was a case of mission accomplished for Monaco last term as they finished in the Champions League spots in Ligue 1. Their defence of their league title was somewhat meek, but given the turnover of players, it would have been unrealistic to expect any more. Over the course of the summer, they have again allowed several experienced first-team players to leave for big money, all from the midfield area. Thomas Lemar has gone to Atletico Madrid, Fabinho to Liverpool and the experienced Joao Moutinho has switched to Wolves. Meanwhile, Monaco have elected not to replace these men with big names on the whole. The exception, however, is Russia winger Aleksandr Golovin, who snubbed Chelsea for a role at Stade Louis II. Otherwise, they have elected to sign Jean-Eudes Aholou from Strasbourg to feature in the centre, a largely unheralded player last term but one who can fit into a top Ligue 1 side. Pele, meanwhile, arrives from Rio Ave, while Antonio Barreca has joined from Torino. Otherwise, their recruitment has overwhelmingly focused on signing promising young players such as Lyon teenager Willem Geubbels, who has joined up for €20 million. Along with the likes of Jonathan Panzo, who has joined up from Chelsea, he is liable to be brought gently into the team. Monaco will rely heavily on the talented young players they have on their bench, with numerous hot prospects in their ranks. As they discovered last season, though, that can lead to inconsistency and uncertainty of performance. Experienced players such as Kamil Glik will carry extra responsibility, while there will be an onus on youngsters such as Youri Tielemans and Rony Lopes to continue their development. Expect more stars to develop over the course of the campaign, with coach Leonardo Jardim incredibly adept at bringing such players successfully into the ranks.