Often seen as a selling league, Ligue 1 is slowly starting to splash the cash. With Paris Saint-Germain carrying the torch for so long, and Monaco occasionally dipping their toes in too, it’s looking like several clubs that have had recent investment could be attempting to join their ranks.
However, the summer of 2016 was not pretty for a number of teams in France. With plenty looking to restock from within the league in order to close an ever-increasing gap, some have had some downright stinkers that could have set them further back from where they began.
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Also read: Ligue 1 2016/17: Top 10 players of the season
With that in mind, here are the 10 worst transfers by Ligue 1 teams in the 2016/17 season.
#10 Jese – Paris Saint-Germain
Blink and you definitely would have missed him, Jese’s career in France’s capital never got out of neutral. There were questions as to why Real Madrid were so willing to sell but those quickly turned to why Paris Saint-Germain were just as eager to spend so much.
The 24-year-old didn’t have much time to impress in his debut against Bastia but in his first start against Saint-Etienne, you were only reminded he was on the pitch when he was substituted after an hour. After that, he barely got a look in, failing to complete 90 minutes in any of his 13 appearances with the Parisians.
He was quickly shipped off to Las Palmas for the second half of the season, where he showed glimpses of his qualities but all too infrequently. PSG, with replacements already lined up this summer, will be looking to get the Spaniard off their books once the new season starts.
#9 Grzegorz Krychowiak – Paris Saint-Germain
An Unai Emery man and a former Ligue 1 player, no one can quite work out what happened to Grzegorz Krychowiak. Spectacular for Sevilla as a shield for their defence, the Polish international sounded like the ideal player for Paris Saint-Germain, with Thiago Motta not getting any younger.
However, it seems like a number of things have held him down. Reports of him not settling well in the dressing room have been rife, with the player even asking to play for the secondary side just so he can remain fit and capable for his national team.
The 27-year-old stayed in January to fight for his place, only to see even more limited opportunities despite the club’s failings in the league. Having kept professional throughout, training whenever asked and not uttering a bad word, it would be nice to see him get a move where he will be more appreciated and hopefully return to his best.
#8 Jeremy Menez – Bordeaux
Seen as the experienced individual that would guide the young blood of Bordeaux, Jeremy Menez’s return to his homeland looked like a match made in heaven. A club of slightly lower stature, helpful for his advancing years and declining influences, he could use his knowledge to assist the multitude of Les Girondins’ youthful attackers.
Instead, we got the Menez that some had predicted. He started the season but was not up to scratch in any position he played, with his performances personified by a red card after 38 minutes against Montpellier which saw him pulled from the team entirely.
His work ethic has come under scrutiny, especially as young players have surpassed him in terms of contribution on the field, with manager Jocelyn Gourvenec unwavering in his belief that everyone should pull their weight. For Menez, he may have to drag himself around a football pitch somewhere else for the 2017/18 campaign.
#7 Marvin Martin – Dijon
The definition of a one-hit wonder, Marvin Martin has struggled to live up to the great season he had at Sochaux back in 2010/11. In that campaign, he had a gluttony of assists that earned him a call-up to the France squad and a move to Lille a year later, but it has been all downhill from there.
With Frederic Antonetti admitting he wasn’t in his plans for Les Doges, Martin moved to newly-promoted Dijon. A club looking for a creative outlet to add to their attacking team, this could have been the move that rejuvenated a career that has been hibernating for some time.
Two injuries and one assist later, it’s not exactly gone to plan. With some of the club’s old guns surpassing him and the strikers able to score plenty without him, the once-exciting youngster will yet again be wondering what went wrong.
#6 Lindsay Rose – Bastia
Swapped with Lorient-bound Mathieu Peybernes, it’s hard to see what Bastia were thinking by getting Lindsay Rose in return. They traded a half-decent, regular starting defender for a part-time hit and hope who hasn’t impressed for a long time.
With their defence leaking goals left, right and centre, it’s alarming enough that Rose played just nine games since his move in January, including a 5-0 defeat to Guingamp. Injuries didn’t help either, finishing the season on the treatment bench, but this just seemed like an odd move from the beginning.
In the end, neither club managed to stay in Ligue 1, so the swap was for nought anyway. They might as well have exchanged Christmas cards instead, for all either was worth to their fight against relegation.
#5 Nicolas N’Koulou – Lyon
On paper, this move looked like a steal. Nicolas N’Koulou was highly rated by a number of clubs across Europe for several years as he continuously impressed at Marseille, yet Lyon managed to snap him up on a free transfer.
That is about where the success story ends. The Cameroon international missed almost six months of action out of the squad and because of the Africa Cup of Nations but alongside fellow disappointment Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, he was a catastrophe in a leaky back line that cost Lyon their place in the Champions League.
In fact, it’s that bad that reports are already emerging that the club are ready to sell him after just a season. What looked like a move in the right direction for Jean-Michel Aulas’ club has only helped sink them further down the pecking order in Ligue 1 which could get worse this summer.
#4 Clinton Njie – Marseille
After a frustrating season at Tottenham Hotspur, a move back to France on loan looked like the best remedy to heal Clinton Njie’s stuttering career. A starting place with a struggling Marseille was assured, as long as he did something when he was on the field.
The pacy forward really failed to add anything to the side’s attacking line-up before making way for the new recruits after fresh investment in January. Even when Bafetimbi Gomis was injured and he was given another shot, he failed again and was replaced as a striker by Remy Cabella.
It was the ultimate humiliation for a player that looked a real livewire at former club Lyon. Unlikely to be at the Stade Velodrome or in England next season, the youngster’s career is already looking in limbo.
#3 Clement Chantome – Rennes
While not many things went right for Rennes this season, signing former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Clement Chantome might be near the top of that long, long list. An experienced Ligue 1 campaigner, he was expected to be the glue that would hold together Christian Gourcuff’s new side.
Instead, Chantome was the one who needed glueing together as he spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch. Even when he did manage to find his way on to the pitch, he often seemed lost and his steady decline over the past few years was there for everyone to see, with him struggling to keep possession and being bullied by opponents.
With this club needing a huge restructuring in the summer, it’s hard to tell if the 29-year-old will be involved or not. His past track record shows that he could be a great player for most sides in Ligue 1 but after a few subpar campaigns, there are increasing worries that his time in the sun is running out.
#2 Bryan Dabo – Saint-Etienne
With Saint-Etienne lacking some verve in the middle of the park, Bryan Dabo looked like the man that could give them a little more help in attacking areas. Many thought the former Montpellier man was a super signing on their tight budget but he did little to lift the malaise of their midfield.
Just one assist and averaging just over an 80% pass completion rate, along with a limited defensive contribution and it’s easy to see why he got so little game time this season. In fact, he was out of the squad altogether in the final half of the season, a damning verdict on a dreadful campaign.
Manager Christophe Galtier is leaving in the summer, potentially opening the door to a fresh start for Dabo. However, with likely reinforcements in his area of the field, he needs to put this dire season behind him as soon as possible.
#1 Hatem Ben Arfa – Paris Saint-Germain
The wonderful enigma that is Hatem Ben Arfa only got more complicated this season. After finally living up to the hype at Nice after years of frustration, a move to Paris Saint-Germain was seen as a perfect stage for his dramatically engaging talents.
What ended up happening was him shining in pre-season but after a poor performance in the opener against Bastia, Emery abandoned the 4-2-3-1 and Ben Arfa was left wandering out wide, if he played at all. The French international even made a video earlier this year to document his frustrations over playing time, which didn’t sit too well with many, even if in games since then, he’s shown glimpses of his brilliance.
The question, in the end, is why did PSG even sign him at all? It was a pretty poor move for all involved and an exclamation point in what was a truly apocalyptically bad summer transfer window for the Parisians.
