It was always to be expected after the season they just had, but Monaco in Ligue 1 are about to have a large chunk of their squad bought out by bigger clubs this summer.
The process began very early when Manchester City, out of nowhere, bought Bernardo Silva, when everyone thought he was headed to the red side of the city, and now two of their players have been linked with a move to Tottenham.
Furthermore, Spurs have also been thrown into the mix for a Lyon midfielder, one who has been on the shopping list of quite a few prestigious European clubs for quite some time.
Corentin Tolisso
We’ll start with the latter of the three, and probably the most likely to be open to a move to Spurs.
Linked with most big Italian clubs, Tolisso will want to play Champions League football next year, something Tottenham will be able to offer.
Estimated to be allowed to leave for a fee nearing the €30m range, the 22-year-old remains an investment, but one very worth making, considering what can he bring on a football pitch.
Never slacking with his defensive duties, Tolisso is also incredibly capable going forward, more often than not found in or around the penalty box to put the ball in the back of the net.
Scoring 14 goals and picking up seven assists in 47 games for Lyon this season, the midfielder also averages around two tackles per game, as well as one interception, which is around the same as Mousa Dembélé’s defensive output.
While he doesn’t dribble anywhere near as much as the Belgian, his eye for the pass makes up for it, which would be a plus for Tottenham going forward if, for example, they were to line him up next to a defensive minded midfielder like Victor Wanyama.
Lyon seem to have resigned themselves to the fact Tolisso will leave in the summer if the right offer comes along, and if Tottenham are indeed interested, signing him would considerably strengthen, and even improve, their squad.
Djibril Sidibé
This one only makes sense if Kyle Walker leaves, and even then it seems dubious.
The reasoning behind this is that Djibril Sidibé, while offering a lot going forward, doesn’t have the defensive mindset to, for now, be a Premier League full-back.
Often found missing when teams counter-attack, the AS Monaco right-back has had a decent season, but the fact the Ligue 1 club are clearly so open about selling him, as well as recruiting Jordy Gaspar from Lyon, suggests they don’t see a long-term future for him.
Almamy Touré is already regarded as a superior player, and it was only really Sidibé’s fee last summer (around £10m) that forced Leonardo Jardim to continually rely on him.
This one, in our eyes, really depends on whether or not Mauricio Pochettino decides to fully commit to playing three at the back or not.
If he does, then selling Kyle Walker to Manchester City (that seems to be a thing) and bringing in Sidibé in instead makes a lot more sense, because, in that formation, defending isn’t as important for those playing out wide, which would suit the France international far better.
With Kieran Trippier already in the side, whose defensive skills are superior, our money would be on him becoming the full-time Walker replacement, were he to leave, leaving Sidibé as the rotation option.
We’re not sure that’s something the Monaco defender would want, especially in a season leading up to the World Cup in Russia.
Thomas Lemar
With everyone else leaving, we always expected one or two of the current Monaco squad to stay, and we’ve maintained these would most likely be Kylian Mbappé and Thomas Lemar.
Absolutely adored by the club’s fans, Lemar has had a season to remember, and is fully deserving of all the rumours surrounding his future, having scored 14 goals and assisted teammates 17 times in 55 games this season.
However, only recently making the France squad, does moving to a bigger club make sense for him this year? Especially considering he’s only 21 and has a lot of time left in his career.
His father, in an interview with Ouest-France, said earlier on this year: “Everything will happen when it’s meant to. Today, Thomas is with the Ligue 1 leaders. There isn’t a specific forecast. We’re just in the logic of development, and this comes through time on the pitch, which he has at Monaco.
“There are sometimes financial parameters you cannot control, but I think the plan is for him to stay one or two more years at Monaco. He has his ambition, his objectives, which includes wanting to go a bit further. In this business, the player has his part to say, but he isn’t always the one to decide.”
That doesn’t sound like someone expecting his son to leave just yet, even if big clubs come knocking.
Now, where would he fit?
If Tottenham stick with the 4-2-3-1 next season, Thomas Lemar might just be perfect for what Mauricio Pochettino wants, which is to feed Harry Kane at every opportunity.
The Frenchman’s left-foot really is a joy to behold, and having him finding the England striker with precise crosses and through-balls should only add to Tottenham’s already impressive goalscoring output.
Yet, taking into account how impressive Son Heung-Min has been (21 goals and 10 assists), would Pochettino be ready to bench the Korean international just yet?
With three years left on his Monaco contract, our gut feeling is that Lemar will stay another season at Monaco before moving onto bigger and better things.
But, if Tottenham are interested, and do get him, he’ll be a joy to watch in the Premier League, much like his now ex-Monaco teammate Bernardo Silva.
