Some of the best players to ever play in the Premier League have come from France, including Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United favourites.
Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris in action
The Premier League has always been a place where French players in particular have shone down the years, with many a fan being mesmerised by some quality footwork or an outstanding goal from our French counterparts.
It seems that Marseille are trying to sign half the French players in the Premier League, having already signed Dimitri Payet from West Ham United, and are now rumoured to have Steve Mandanda, as reports France Football, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud, as reports the Daily Mail, in their sights.
With that in mind, here’s a Premier League Xi composed entirely of French players.
Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris
Fabien Barthez can consider himself unlucky to miss out on this list, but while the 1998 World Cup winner was a brilliant goalkeeper, Lloris is a better one. The 30-year-old has redefined the sweeper keeper role at Tottenham Hotspur, and his reflexes have to be seen to be believed at times, with Lloris proving himself time and time again to be an outstanding shot stopper since arriving from Lyon in 2012.
Right back – Bacary Sagna
His best days may be behind him now, but Sagna is one of the finest full backs ever imported into the Premier League. A revelation with Arsenal, whom he signed for in 2007, Sagna’s form saw him inducted into the Team of the Year twice, with the rampaging right back racking up 213 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, with four goals scored. In 2014, after winning the FA Cup with Arsenal, Sagna moved to Manchester City, and has been a very useful outlet for the Citizens to date.
Roberto Di Matteo celebrates winning the FA Cup with Chelsea teammate Marcel Desailly
Centre back – Marcel Desially
Arguably one of the best defenders ever, by the time Desially came to Chelsea in 1998, he had won the Champions League twice, lifted two Serie A titles, and had just been victorious in the World Cup, and quickly showed just why he had such a jaw dropping trophy cabinet. A colossus in every sense of the word, Desially was a world class defender for the Blues, and could seemingly do everything you could possibly want your centre back to do. It remained that way right up until he left Stamford Bridge in 2004, and Desially remains one of the club’s best ever players today.
Centre back – Laurent Koscielny
Very possibly Arsenal’s best central defender since Sol Campbell, it may have taken Koscielny a while to get going at the Emirates Stadium, but he’s proved he was worth investing in. The 31-year-old signed from Lorient in 2010, and has consistently put in a series of commanding displays at the back in recent years, to the point that Arsenal’s defence pretty much collapses without his presence. There may be interest from afar, but there’s a reason why Koscielny is nearly at 300 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, and it would be a huge own goal if the Gunners let him leave.
Manchester City’s Gael Clichy in action with Swansea City’s Leroy Fer
Left back – Gael Clichy
An often underrated part of the jigsaw, Clichy’s time in England has been incredibly successful. The flying left back has won three Premier League titles since arriving to the country in 2003, while making over 400 appearances in English football. Arsenal signed the defender from Cannes, and with the Gunners, Clichy became an Invincible in 2004, while also winning the 2005 FA Cup. In 2011, Clichy moved to Manchester City, where he’s won the title twice, as well as emerging from two League Cup finals victorious.
Right midfield – David Ginola
Maybe seen as more of a left winger, but Ginola could do a shift down the right when required – and how. One of the most gifted players to play in the Premier League, Ginola was a wizard with the ball at his feet, becoming pretty much every neutral’s favourite player that didn’t play for their club, while the supporters he played for cherished every time he put on their club’s colours. Ginola signed for Newcastle in 1995 and lit up St James’ Park with a series of stunning displays, before Tottenham Hotspur signed him in 1997. Ginola repeated the trick at White Hart Lane, but in 2000 he left for Aston Villa. Things didn’t go to plan at Villa and in 2002 he went to Everton, where he retired, but Ginola called time on his English adventure with 34 goals in 237 games in all competitions.
Chelsea’s Eidur Gudjohnsen and Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira
Centre midfield – Patrick Vieira
The heartbeat of that Arsenal side. Ferocious, determined and brilliant – Vieira was a revelation for Arsenal after signing in 1996 from AC Milan, who never gave the midfielder a fair chance. Their loss was Arsenal’s gain, as Vieira became the governor general of the side, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups with the Gunners. Vieira left in 2005 for Juventus, but returned to England in 2010 with Manchester City, whom he won the FA Cup with. In total, Vieira made 452 appearances in England, scoring 40 goals.
Centre midfield – Ngolo Kante
While many would argue that Claude Makelele or Emmanuel Petit should be in ahead of Kante, the fact he’s become a key man at two clubs in the space of two years to the point where one won the Premier League and the other are champions elect is staggering. Leicester City signed the diminutive midfielder from Caen in 2015, and a year later, Kante had become the glue to make Leicester tick, to the point they did the impossible and won the league title. The Foxes crumbled when he left for Chelsea in the summer of 2016, and the 26-year-old is a vital cog in the Blues’ machine. Come the end of this season, Kante could have won the Premier League twice in two years, with an FA Cup to boot.
Thierry Henry and Robert Pires – Arsenal celebrate winning the league
Left midfield – Robert Pires
One of the best to ever don the Arsenal shirt, Pires was a magical winger during his time at Highbury, scoring 62 in 189 Premier League matches. The tricky winger arrived from Marseille in 2000, and stayed with Arsenal for six years, winning two Premier League titles and three FA Cups. In 2006, Pires left Arsenal for Villarreal in Spain, but returned to England for one season with Aston Villa, where he made nine appearances without scoring.
Striker – Eric Cantona
For many years, there would be few who’d argue with you if you’d said that Cantona was the finest foreign player the Premier League had signed. Arriving in 1992 with Leeds United, Cantona won the league title in his first year at Elland Road, before signing for Manchester United later that same year. With the Red Devils, Cantona became one of the best players in Europe and won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups, racking up an overall record of 96 goals in 220 games. It’s testament to how good a player Cantona was that to this day, he’s still known as the king of Old Trafford.
Striker – Thierry Henry
The reason why people no longer say Cantona is the greatest foreign import to the Premier League is because of this man. Henry signed for Arsenal from Juventus in 1999, and left as a legend; scoring 228 goals in 376 appearances in all competitions, and becoming the club’s all-time leading goalscorer as a result – something which he still holds today. With Arsenal, Henry won two Premier League titles – including the Invincible 2003/04 title – and two FA Cups, while also winning four Premier League Golden Boot awards, as well as being included in the PFA Team of the Century.
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