5 Ligue 1 players English clubs should sign in January

French Ligue 1 has been a favourite shopping spot for English Premier League clubs over years. A good number of talented players are transferred in to EPL from Ligue 1 every season. William Gallas who joined Chelsea from Marseille, John Arne Riise who joined Liverpool from Monaco, and Jay-Jay Okocha who came from PSG to Bolton Wanderers are few of such transfers which were successful in the earlier part of this century.

But it was Didier Drogba, who joined Chelsea from Marseille in summer of 2004 that set the benchmark. Petr Cech (Rennes to Chelsea in 2004), Michael Essien (Lyon to Chelsea in 2005), Patrice Evra (Monaco to Manchester United in 2006), Hugo Lloris (Lyon to Tottenham in 2012), Eden Hazard (Lille to Chelsea in 2012) and N'Golo Kante (Caen to Leicester City in 2015) are some of the names who followed Drogba and made huge impact.

With the winter transfer window opening soon, several English clubs will be looking to strengthen their squad. In no particular order, here is the list of 5 current Ligue 1 players that EPL clubs should sign in this window:

Jesé

Club - Paris Saint-Germain

Jesé was considered as one of the brightest young talents in Real Madrid academy when he broke the goal-scoring record for their reserve side. However he struggled to break into the first-team and often found himself as a backup to Real Madrid's star studded forward line. An injury, which sidelined him for 9 months made the situation even worse.

The former Spanish youth international joined PSG in summer of 2016 with the hopes of finding back his form and goal-scoring prowess. However things didn't go the right way, and Jesé was soon found in the French capital struggling with lack of form and gametime.

After scoring 2 goals from 14 matches in all competitions for the Parisian club, he joined his hometown club Las Palmas on loan in January. However the club decided not to sign him permanently due to his performances which didn't meet their expectations. A season-long loan move to Stoke City followed, but it was marked with poor discipline as he ended his season by scoring just a goal from 13 matches.

Since returning to PSG in this summer, the 25-year old Spaniard has been overlooked by newly appointed manager Thomas Tuchel and is yet to feature in a match-day squad. PSG are trying to get rid of the player in this current scenario, and this means even signing the player permanently would be really cheap in the current market.

However signing Jesé involves high risk, considering his lack of form in last few seasons and previous EPL campaign. The two-time UEFA Champions League winner is a versatile attacker and would fit in any mid-table club who are trying to boost their forward options.

Emiliano Sala

Club - Nantes

Sala is making headlines for outscoring several prominent strikers this season.

Emiliano Sala wasn't a popular name outside Ligue 1, until he topped the league scoring charts which is usually a monopoly of PSG players. The lanky Argentine striker, who joined Nantes in 2015 has spent his entire professional career in France so far.

A youth academy graduate of Bordeaux; Sala enjoyed two fruitful loan spells with Orleans and Niort in lower divisions before permanently moving to 'Les Canaris'. Even though his first season wasn't impressive enough, he scored 12 goals each in the next two league seasons.

However his current season, which is also his fourth in the yellow and green shirt turned out to be the breakthrough season as he has already scored his previous best - 12 goals - in just 15 matches. He is currently joint top scorer of the league, a spot which he shares with Kylian Mbappé of PSG and Nicolas Pépé of Lille.

His goal-scoring exploits have already grabbed attention of several EPL clubs including Cardiff and Fulham. The 28-year old striker has scored half of his club's goals in league this season including a hat-trick against Toulouse. He could be a good addition to the clubs mentioned, but it also should be noted that he has never played club football outside France before.

Marcus Thuram

Club - Guingamp

France's record appearance maker and World Cup winner Lilian Thuram could be proud that his football genes have been passed down to his next generation. Marcus, who is elder son of Lilian is a striker unlike his father who was a defender. The 21-year old former French youth international is one of the brightest young prospects in Ligue 1.

Thuram, who started his professional career with Sochaux in Ligue 2 moved to Guingamp in the summer of 2017. Even though his returns in number of goals might not satisfy everyone, he is a strong player who is fast and does well in air. He can be deployed on the wings too where he could display his excellent dribbling skills.

Currently in the bottom of the Ligue 1 table, Guingamp is a sinking ship with just 1 win from 17 matches. Relegation at the end of the season is a bitter possibility for Guingamp and there will be many takers for a player like Marcus Thuram. He is currently going through his best season, and has scored 6 goals from 13 matches in the league so far. Thuram possesses the required set of skills which is needed to be a great forward in future, and the EPL could be the platform for it.

Djibril Sidibé

Club - Monaco

Sidibe was the lone representative of Monaco in France's 2018 World Cup winning squad.

18 months ago, nobody would have thought Monaco would be going through such a downfall. They were Champions League semi-finalists by beating Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and ended the supremacy of PSG in the league by winning the title. However they are battling relegation now, sitting at 19th on the league table with just 3 wins from 17 matches. If there is one player who could have escaped from this havoc andstill couldn't make it is Djibril Sidibé.

An academy graduate of Troyes, Sidibé helped his side to earn promotion from third division to Ligue 1. This helped him to move to Lille where he stayed for four seasons before joining the Monegasque side in 2016. He turned out to be an important part of Monaco's title winning squad by featuring in both sides of defence.

Just like his team mates, he was also rumoured with big money moves but nothing happened ultimately. Sidibé was backup to Benjamin Pavard when 'Les Bleus' won the World Cup in Russia. The 26-year old has featured for Monaco in several matches this season, but with Benjamin Henrichs, Almamy Toure and Ronael Pierre-Gabriel in line, he could be replaced without much worries.

Adrien Rabiot

Club - PSG

Rabiot is yet to renew his contract which will run out at the end of season.

Adrien Rabiot is currently a hot property in transfer market with several big European clubs chasing him. Reason is quite simple. The 23-year old French midfielder is yet to renew his contract with PSG which will end this season.

An academy graduate of PSG, he has spent his entire career with the Parisian club barring a half-season loan stay at Toulouse. The talented midfielder is a regular face in first team of 'Les Parisiens', but was overlooked by Didier Deschamps when he announced the World Cup squad.

PSG have tried to offer him several contracts since the start of this season, but all of them were rejected by the player. Despite this, he is still getting playing minutes at club who are already short of midfield options.

Even though several clubs are reportedly trying to sign him, Barcelona are said to be the favourites. If Rabiot is not willing to sign a contract extension, PSG will try to sell him in January for a lower price and thus avoiding the chance of him being a free agent in the summer. This could be an opportunity for several big EPL clubs to sign him and boost their midfield.

Edited by Emeka Monyei