Ligue 1 insight
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While Paris Saint-Germain are working hard to retain their European title in the Champions League, their domestic campaign has faced some stiff competition in Ligue 1 from an unlikely contender. Despite finishing eighth in the French top-flight last season, Lens have propelled themselves into second place this time around and with just four games left of the league campaign Pierre Sage’s side sit just six points behind the Parisian giants with an all-important head-to-head clash between the two clubs on May 13.
Lens have undoubtedly married experience with youthful talent, with three new signings in particular boosting the squad’s ranks and helping them to keep pace with PSG. Those new signings are goalkeeper Robin Risser, central defender Samson Baidoo and midfield maestro Mamadou Sangaré. Signed for a combined total of just €19 million, the Lens trio have not only thrived for their new club this season but will all be subject to serious attention in this summer’s transfer window. To find out more about how well each player is doing and what could be in store for them for the remainder of 2026, we spoke to Transfermarkt’s French area manager Ronan Caroff, on this week’s episode of Market Values. Here’s what he had to say.
Robin Risser
Between the posts, Lens have undoubtedly picked up an incredible bargain. Signed from domestic rivals Strasbourg for just €3m after they decided to loan Mike Penders from sister club Chelsea, Risser has thrived with some much-needed first-team football and seen his market value rise quicker than any other shot-stopper in Ligue 1 this season. And, as Caroff explains, this season’s form may only be the start of an incredible year for the French goalkeeper. “It was quite frustrating for the fans in Strasbourg because he was one of the biggest prospects in the academy,” notes Caroff. “Even if he was a decent prospect, he didn’t have that much top-flight experience, so that was like a really good bargain for Lens, even if it’s also kind of a bet. We quickly saw that his potential was well analysed and that he was a good fit for Lens. The club needed to rebuild a lot of their team after a quite frustrating 24-25 season, so it was not that much of a surprise to see him live up to the hype in a way.”
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R. Risser |
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R. Risser |
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Risser’s performances for Lens this season have seen him linked with moves to Marseille, Brighton and Newcastle. But what could come before all of that is a somewhat unexpected call up to the France national team. “There was some talk about him possibly going to the World Cup with France because there is a bit of turmoil in the French national team for goalkeepers, as we see Lucas Chevalier struggle with PSG and a few other players knocking on the door of the team to possibly get a chance for the biggest stage. I think Risser is probably one of the biggest revelations of French football overall, actually. But I also think he will be a big transfer topic for the summer because Chelsea could have an eye on him if they decide to make a fresh start in the goalkeeper department, and we also saw some rumours about other Premier League clubs that have made some enquiries about Risser. So I think it will be a huge topic this summer. It will just be a matter of whether he prefers to move directly to a bigger club or to play in the Champions League with Lens next season.”
Samson Baidoo
The second new star in Lens’ team this season is central defender Samson Baidoo. Signed from RB Salzburg for just €8m, the young Austrian talent has gone from strength to strength with the Ligue 1 side. Lens defence has been the cornerstone of their impressive season and, while he has had to deal with a nasty hamstring injury for part of the season, that hasn’t stopped him thriving in the French top-flight and, as a result, his market value has shot up from €8m to where it now stands at €25m. “A bit like Risser he was kind of a bargain,” noted Caroff. “So he really adapted quite fast to Ligue 1, indeed. The defence of Lens is one of their main assets this season, with Risser, Baidoo and a few others that really offer stability and solidity to the team. And of course, he had some known potential, since an €8m market value in the Austrian First Division is still quite a nice statement for a young player, but of course, now we know that he can thrive on a higher level. Even if his 2026 year has been a bit more difficult because he had a few hamstring issues.”
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S. Baidoo |
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S. Baidoo |
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Naturally, Baidoo’s performances have attracted a lot of attention from bigger clubs. In recent months the defender has been linked with moves to Juventus, Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, as well as Premier League duo Manchester City and Liverpool. However, like Risser, Baidoo signed a long-term contract with Lens until 2030 and won’t be cheap. “Lens will not back down on bargaining fees. They will probably go for €30-40m to try to negotiate and not sell him for less than his worth,” added Caroff. “Maybe compared to a few others of the main Lens players, I think he is the type of player that would probably benefit from another season with the club. But of course, we know how the market is, and Lens has often attracted big names around them, as we saw in past seasons with players like Abdukodir Khusanov or Kevin Danso. So, depending on what would be best for the player and what the market will dictate, I think it will be tough to judge. But I think for his development, he’s a type of player that will benefit from another full season in Ligue 1 and now with European competitions on the horizon to build up even more.”
Mamadou Sangaré
Last but certainly not least of all of Lens’ most impressive stars in this season’s league campaign is none other than central midfielder Mamadou Sangaré. Signed from Rapid Vienna for just €8m, the Mali international has seen his market value skyrocket from just €6m last summer to where it now stands at €30m. No midfielder outside of PSG has gained more market value in Ligue 1 this season, and in many ways, Sangaré has perhaps been the best player in that position in Ligue 1, after discounting Luis Enrique’s star-studded team. “He directly became a main asset in the midfield for Lens,” noted Caroff. “He has made seven goal contributions as a central midfielder – three goals and assists – and has been involved in some recent games, like even last Friday against Brest, where he contributed one assist. In the past few months, he also contributed two goals and one assist. So he’s been reliable not just in building play but also getting forward more often in recent games. So he’s really quite a promising and exciting player to follow.”
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M. Sangaré |
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M. Sangaré |
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Having already been established as a Mali international for quite some time and an impressive season at Rapid Vienna last term, Caroff believes a number of Europe’s biggest clubs will be kicking themselves for not taking a punt on Sangaré last summer. Since making the move to Ligue 1, the 23-year-old talent has been linked with moves to Manchester United, West Ham and Chelsea. But Premier League sides will likely need to pay a very high fee indeed if they hope to get Lens to part with their star midfielder. “I think if Lens had to set a selling price beforehand for each of these three players, I think he would be the one who would get the biggest price tag to start with,” said Caroff. “Lens would be aiming for close to maybe €50m, because he’s attracting interest from mainly Premier League teams again. Many of these clubs will now regret not spending just €8m a few months ago to sign him and will now have to pay a bigger fee to Lens to make it work. And a bit like Risser and Baidoo, it’s the same situation – he also has a contract until 2030 – so it will be a hard fight to try to sign him this summer if some clubs want to buy Sangaré.”
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