Yannick Menu brings Champagne flavour to Paris FC
A touch of Champagne is on the Menu at Paris FC, with the club's Director of Development a big reason for that.
The Reims connection
Whilst Reims and Paris FC may have been passing ships in the night, the former dropping from Ligue 1 McDonald's to Ligue 2 BKT last season, with the latter making the opposite move, they are nonetheless two clubs linked in recent times.
Of course, Les Parisiens signed both of Reims' left-backs, Thibault De Smet and Noha Sangui, during the summer transfer window. Both have featured prominently, firstly under Stéphane Gilli and now under new manager Antoine Kombouaré, whose arrival on the bench at the Stade Jean Bouin was confirmed in February.
Then there is the upcoming arrival of the highly-rated Patrick Zabi. The midfielder has had a breakthrough campaign in France's second division and he quickly caught the eye of some of Europe's biggest clubs. However, he was tempted by the burgeoning and exciting Paris FC project.
Le coup de canon de Patrick Zabi 💥 pic.twitter.com/kHzmnUKLwk
— Ligue 2 BKT (@Ligue2BKT) January 5, 2026
If Paris FC have an eye on Reims, there is a reason, and that reason is Yannick Menu - one of the most highly-rated directors working in youth football. He joined Paris FC in the summer of 2024, bringing an end to a five-year stint at Reims, where he was in the same role, Director of Development.
The Champagne club have one of the best academies in one of the best countries for developing talent in the world, and he has worked at some of the other top teams in France in terms of player development. Menu also spent a brief spell at Monaco after a much longer spell at Rennes, which began in 2000 and ended in 2015.
'Dembélé was always a level above' - Menu
Les Rennais have, of course, developped some of the best talent in France in the recent decade. Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Jérémy Jacquet, Eduardo Camavinga... the list goes on. Dembélé, now at PSG and who won the Ballon d'Or back in September, is one of the brightest prospects with whom Menu has worked. "He was always a level above and often playing above his age category," recalls Menu, a player whose breakthrough he helped facilitate.
Naturally, therefore, Menu's skillset and experience make him a perfect match for Paris FC, who, along with minority shareholder Red Bull, are looking to build a project based on talent development, relying on the incredible hotbed of talent, not only in the Ile-de-France region, but across France.
With players with whom Menu is already familiar already making the move across to Paris FC, it is clear that his impact is being felt, and given the foundations of the project, the Frenchman will likely have a big role in one of the most intriguing developing stories in European football.
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