Ligue 1 Sees Familiar Faces Return

The summer transfer window has brought several new faces to Ligue 1, but there are familiar names who have returned to France’s top flight to continue their football career. Here’s a look at the names you’ll remember from their previous time in the league.

Aïssa Mandi, Mitchel Bakker and Thomas Meunier join LOSC Lille

Starting with Bakker, the 24-year-old played for Paris Saint-Germain from 2019 to 2021 before leaving to continue his career with Bayer Leverkusen. Now, the defender is back in France playing for Les Dogues as he looks to play a significant role on a team looking to compete domestically and in the UEFA Champions League.

Meunier is the other former PSG defender joining LOSC this summer. The Belgium native played for the capital club from 2016 to 2020 and left the French capital to continue his career with Borussia Dortmund.

The other veteran defender joining Lille this campaign is Mandi, who returns to French football after spending the last couple of years playing in Spain. Mandi played for Stade de Reims from 2009 to 2016 and was part of the squad that earned promotion into Ligue 1 during the 2011-12 season. The 32-year-old left Reims in 2016 to play in Spain with stints at Real Betis and Villarreal.

Saïd Benrahma stays with OL

Benrahma arrived on a loan deal last January transfer window from West Ham United. The 29-year-old was part of the Lyon side that avoided relegation and reached the Coupe de France final. This was enough to make the veteran's stay with Les Gones permanent this summer as he continues his second stint in Ligue 1 after cracking OGC Nice's first team.

Ludovic Ajorque joins Brest for UCL season

Ajorque is well-traveled within French football, but the 30-year-old spent most of his time with Strasbourg, having played for Le Racing from 2018 to 2023. After the 2022-23 season, the veteran striker left to play abroad and joined Mainz 05, but this summer, Ajorque returned to Ligue 1 joining Brest as he looks to help the squad with their domestic and Champions League campaign.

Thilo Kehrer remains at AS Monaco

Kehrer is another player who arrived during the January transfer window but made his move permanent this summer with Monaco. The 27-year-old played for PSG from 2018 to 2022 and would leave to join West Ham, where he played from 2022 to 2024. Now, with Monaco, the German defender looks to play a pivotal role on a team competing domestically and in the Champions League.

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