Zidane faces goalkeeper shortage ahead of first France squad selection

Zinédine Zidane will unveil his first squad as France manager on September 17, but the question of the number one goalkeeper and the hierarchy behind him is already shaping up to be thorny.

Appointed on July 28 to succeed Didier Deschamps after fourteen years in charge, Zidane is expected to make several changes in attack — notably the call-up of Estéban Lepaul is anticipated. In goal, however, no immediate upheaval is expected: Mike Maignan keeps his starting place, for lack of real competition.

It is precisely this void that concerns former pundit Pierre Ménès. “A new number one for France? OK, but who? Samba? Risser? That’s thin, otherwise there’s nothing,” he said. He points to a structural deficit: “Many clubs have foreign goalkeepers, you just have to look at the top of the table — Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Monaco, Paris… They’re all foreign goalkeepers. That means there’s a generational gap in France at that level.”

Ménès is also critical of the current number one. “Maignan had a poor World Cup, and we’ll have to see. It’s up to Risser alone to progress, to do better than what he did notably against Auxerre. For now, Maignan’s place is not contested, for lack of contenders,” he added.

The hierarchy at the number two and number three positions, currently held by Brice Samba and Robin Risser, could also evolve. Fabien Barthez, goalkeeper coach for France, was present in the stands during Toulouse-Lyon (0-2) on Saturday, where he was able to observe Guillaume Restes. A sign that Zidane and his staff are examining all available options before the fateful date of September 17.