Lille Searches for Igaman Replacement Before Winter Transfer Window Closes
French club Lille is experiencing a difficult period offensively, with a decline in their goal-scoring effectiveness in recent matches. This has led to uncertainty within the team and prompted its technical management to seek urgent solutions ahead of upcoming commitments in both Ligue 1 and the Europa League.
According to French newspaper L’Équipe, Lille faces a complex challenge before their Europa League Round of 16 first-leg match against Celta Vigo on Thursday. The team has suffered from a clear lack of goals and positive results, particularly after the serious knee anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained by Moroccan international striker Hamza Igaman while playing for the Moroccan national team in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal.
Igaman's injury disrupted coach Bruno Genesio's plans and pushed the club's management to intensify their search for a replacement capable of filling the void left by one of their key attacking players. This comes at a time when the team has scored only one goal in its last three matches, despite boasting the third-strongest attack in Ligue 1 this season with 33 goals scored by 14 different players.
The same source indicates that Lille is considering two main options to resolve their attacking crisis: first, relying on young talents within the club, and second, signing an experienced striker from outside the team before the winter transfer window closes.
Twenty-year-old Matthias Fernandez Pardo has returned to the squad after recovering from a muscle injury and is considered one of the names capable of playing as a striker, alongside promising 18-year-old talents Souriba Diawara and Angel Youndjou Mata, who have been performing well with the youth teams.
Diawara, a French player of Guinean descent, previously scored his first Ligue 1 goal against Auxerre last December. However, coach Genesio cautioned against rushing his full integration, stating that “playing him directly might not serve his development.”
As for Youndjou Mata, who was included in Cameroon’s preliminary AFCON squad, he has scored 5 goals in 6 matches with the reserve team but still lacks the required readiness for the senior level.
Until a definitive solution to the attacking crisis is found, veteran striker Olivier Giroud will continue to lead the team's front line. Lille is relying on him to overcome this difficult phase and regain offensive balance before crucial domestic and continental fixtures.
