At a press conference, AS Monaco’s managing director, Thiago Scuro, justified the recruitment of Stanis Idumbo, Belgian striker of FC Seville, for the next three seasons. This acquisition is part of the club’s youth-oriented recruitment policy to compensate for the imminent departure of Eliesse Ben Seghiir to the Bayer Leverkusen. Scuro stressed the desire to strengthen the strength with an additional player profile, particularly relevant given the busy schedule and the potential impact of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. He stressed the need to bring a variety of offensive profiles, a step consistent with the club’s development plan.

At the same time, the draw of the Champions League was particularly unfavourable to French clubs, notably Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille and AS Monaco. The PSG was the least successful, with eight leading opponents, while the OM won the third most difficult draw. AS Monaco is doing a little better, with the 21st most complicated draw among qualified teams. These draws highlight the difficulty of the competition and the need for French clubs to fight for progress in the next phase.

Finally, AS Monaco has given up an offer of 20 million euros from FC Nantes for young talent Louis Leroux, an offensive milieu able to play also as relayer or left side. Despite the interest of several major French clubs, the Nantes refused this proposal, wishing to keep the player in development. In another news, Soungou Tou Magassa, trained in Monaco, joined West Ham, marking the end of a promising career in the Monegasque club after about 50 matches with the professional team.