Ligue 1 is possibly one of the best leagues in Europe for new and emerging players to burst onto the scene each season. Some you can predict, others seem to come from nowhere. Last season names like Renaud Cohade, Lossemy Karaboue or Adrien Regattin impressed anyone who managed to see them play most weeks.
Here, we have selected four players that might well have the ability to stand out this season and are certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Jean-Christophe Bahebeck - Troyes
A product of Paris-Saint Germain's youth academy Bahebeck has been knocking on the door of the capital club for a few years now. Unfortunately, due to PSG's new business model of spending big the chances for the 19-year old winger have become few and far between. Much like the loan moves that were enjoyed by Andre Ayew of Marseille and Remy Cabella of Montpellier, the time has come for Bahebeck to get his taste of first team football at Ligue 1 new boys Troyes.
His impact has been almost instantaneous, with his side drawing 0-0 away at Lyon he came out and scored the opening goal of the game only two minutes into the second half, a confident finish to Fabrice N'Sakala's cross.
Only ten minutes after scoring he was substituted but his appearance was enough to show he will cause problems in this league. Three shots on goals, all of his eight passes found their target. Although caught offside twice, it was the excellent timed run that latched onto N'Sakala's pass. Against weaker opposition you would like to see him attempt more than one dribble attempt. With only eight substitute appearances for PSG last season his time was very limited. With the right backing and a freedom to express himself he has the potential to do big things in this league.
Massadio Haidara – AS Nancy
Easily one of the most exciting players of last season. Massadio Haidara was superb in Nancy finishing 11th in Ligue 1. No surprise that a few English Premier League clubs were rumoured to be keeping an eye on the 19-year old Senegalese left-back. He finished 4th in the squad in the WhoScored.com ratings on 6.88, third if you discount Fouad Rachid's one appearance at 7.24. He was then only behind the excellent Yohan Mollo who signed a permanent deal this summer and Bakaye Traore who has since moved on a free to AC Milan. It's clear to see how important a role Haidara had, the scary thought is that he is only going to improve with experience and games.
Winning 2.4 tackles a game last season combined with 2.8 interceptions and 2.8 clearance and only 1.9 fouls per game show how strong his defensive work was during the season. Compare this to the excellent Mathieu Debuchy, who averaged 2.8 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game, and it is clear to see the potential that Haidara possesses.
He has already started this season strongly with a clean sheet against Brest and an excellent performance against Lille in an impressive 1-1 draw. His rating is already up on last year at 6.92. Haidara seems to have the raw elements to be a very good player. He likes to get forward but never shirks his defensive duties, a good tackler, intelligent without the ball and an all-round confident player.
Kurt Zouma – Saint-Etienne
With the departures of Paulao, Sylvain Monsoreau and Sylvain Marchal, the Saint-Etienne back line was instantly diminished. Step forward 18-year-old, man mountain Kurt Zouma. Alongside Jean-Pascal Mignot the young Zouma is the only other centre-back at the club. That is a lot of pressure to put on those giant shoulders. At 17 he started 14 games last season. His sheer physical size and presence dominated in the air, winning 31 of his 44 aerial duels and only causing 12 fouls throughout the whole season. Zouma is quick across the ground, times his tackles very well and loves to move forward with the ball at his feet.
He has already played for France at U17 level and will likely continue with appearances for the Under 19s and possibly sooner rather than later the Under 21 squad.
The issue with Zouma will come with his age and inexperience; does he really have enough about him at such a young age to play 30+ games in a season? Coach Christophe Galtier could really do with strengthening the back line to aid Zouma's development. On the flip-side it is Zouma who is linked with an early move away with rumours of bids above €12m already reaching the Rhone region of France.
Henri Saivet – Girondins de Bordeaux
At only 21, it somehow seems that Henri Saivet has been around the French game for years now. Earmarked as an early prospect, the comparisons with Thierry Henry were enough to have Les Girondins faithful excited with anticipation. Last season Saivet was mainly limited to cameos off the bench - in 24 appearances only four were from the start, but what we did see was a glimpse of Saivet's potential. A very strong and fast runner, with and without the ball, he can to play up front as a main striker but also on the wing, cutting inside to devastating effect. One goal and two assists is not a bad return from his four starts, and add to that 16 shots on goal and 13 key passes and Bordeaux have an excellent prospect on their hands.
This season he has already started both Bordeaux's games and he managed to score as they opened the season with a win against Evian, with Saivet meeting a corner perfectly to head home. Over both games he has averaged 1.5 successful dribbles per game, up on his average of 0.7 last season. It looks like he has convinced coach Francis Gillot of his quality and is mostly likely to play on the left of Gillot's 4-2-3-1. With the right chances falling his way Saivet could easily score over 10 goals this season, and possibly even more.
