Twenty3’s U23s to watch: Ligue 1

Ligue 1 has long been heralded as a division brimming with exciting young talent.

The French top flight has produced more than its fair share of the world’s top players over the course of history – and the current crop will have designs on scaling the heights of their predecessors.

We used the Toolbox to take a closer look at four of the division’s highest-performing young stars under the age of 23.

Wilfried Singo (Monaco) 

Wilfried Singo, 22, is a world-class defender in the making.

Having spent most of his senior career as a right wing-back at Torino, Singo joined Monaco last summer and has since been converted into a centre-back.

He has thrived in the new role and stands head and shoulders above the others in his age group, both in and out of possession.

HIs 439 passes received and 540 passes completed cannot be bettered by any Ligue 1 player under the age of 23 and are evidence of the responsibility he shoulders when his team have the ball.

The Ivory Coast international is far from conservative in possession, too, attempting more forward passes (229), final third passes (82) and through-balls (16) than the division’s other under-23 players.

Singo’s silky skills on the ball do not come at the cost of defensive solidity either, ranking top in this age category for aerial duels won (33) and ball recoveries completed (121) – demonstrating dominance both in the air and on the ground.

He has all the characteristics of a complete central defender and, at only 22, he is only likely to get better.

Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco) 

The second representative from Monaco’s young side, Maghnes Akliouche has yet to truly establish himself as a regular starter at senior level.

However, despite featuring for just 266 Ligue 1 minutes this season, the 21-year-old has notched three goals – and has arguably been unlucky not to add more.

The versatile attacker has hit the target with nine non-penalty shots, recording a non-penalty post-shot xG of 3.81 – numbers no other under-23 players in the competition can better.

The fact that Akliouche’s non-penalty post-shot xG exceeds his non-penalty xG of 2.73 (also an under-23 league-high) by 1.08 is evidence of the quality of his finishing – though the small sample size must be taken into account.

He has also looked especially menacing on the break, mustering 0.33 from counter-attacks. 

If Akliouche can continue to fire on all cylinders in his cameos, it can only be a matter of time before he is entrusted with greater responsibility and a more prominent role at Monaco.

Rayan Cherki (Lyon)

Lyon’s Rayan Cherki is the kind of player that gets people on their feet.

The 20-year-old is comfortable operating as an attacking midfielder or on either flank – but his direct, positive approach remains the same regardless of his role.

His 19 shots, 32 completed dribbles and 48 successful attacking actions cannot be bettered by any other under-23 player in Ligue 1 and those numbers paint an accurate picture of his style.

Cherki’s single-minded determination to make things happen has yet to translate into consistent attacking returns – he has managed just 14 career league goals for Lyon. 

Make no mistake, though – Lyon’s local lad looks like a real diamond in the rough, and the valuable experience he is gaining now will surely refine him into a prolific forward in time.

Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)

At just 17 years of age, Warren Zaïre-Emery is the youngest player – and only teenager – on this list.

Despite his tender years, Zaïre-Emery has secured a regular starting spot in Paris Saint-Germain’s star-studded side, playing 797 minutes out of a possible 900 so far in Ligue 1 – only three players at the club have managed more this term.

It is a remarkable feat given the club’s significant resources and deep talent pool.

The midfielder’s maturity and assuredness in possession are evident to any watching him – and his numbers tell the same story.

No player in the division under the age of 23 has featured in more sequences of 10 or more passes (165), sequences ending in the final third (248) or sequences ending in a shot (52), and he has also attempted (129) and completed (126) the most backward passes.

These are truly exceptional statistics, particularly for a player so young – and there can be little doubt that Zaïre-Emery is destined for a career at the very top level of the game.

All visualisations in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.