The revolution of AS Monaco
Nine years ago, AS Monaco lost 3-0 to Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto in the Champions League final. They had beaten the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea who were managed by Monaco’s current manager Claudio Ranieri, to get to the final. Their squad housed names such as Fernando Morientes, Patrice Evra and Ludovic Giuly back then.
However, in 2011 this achievement was a distant memory as the French club were relegated from Ligue 1 and although an immediate return seemed inevitable they struggled in Ligue 2 last season, finishing in eighth place. Since Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev gained a controlling stake in the club in 2011, he has set about rebuilding the club’s reputation as a leading force in French football. After appointing a high profile manager in Claudio Ranieri, Monaco have managed to gain promotion back to where many believe they belong this season.
High profile names in their current squad include Flavio Roma, who was the club’s goalkeeper in that 2004 final and he is in his second stint at the club having stopped off at AC Milan for a couple of seasons. Highly rated Argentine youngster Lucas Ocampos, Nabil Dirar and Delvin N’Dinga, were signed by the club last summer, but this seems to be just the beginning of the club’s spending.
Names such as James Rodriguez, Joao Moutinho, Samir Nasri, Carlos Tevez and Falcao have all been rumoured to be joining the revolution at Monaco with the owner promising that they will challenge PSG for the Ligue 1 title very soon. If they manage to attract high profile players such as these then who is going to argue with Rybolevlov? Roberto Mancini has also been touted as a replacement for Ranieri, which would be harsh on the man who has guided the club to promotion with just three league losses. But as was proven at , where Ranieri achieved a second placed finish and a Champions League semi-final in his final season, achieving your goals sometimes is not enough when Russian billionaires are involved.
The revolution in the principality seems to be in full swing with heavy rumours that Falcao will join in the very near future. If players of that ilk continue to move to the Stade Louis II then who is to argue against AS Monaco winning their first Ligue 1 title since 2000, it could even come as early as next season based on the rumours we are hearing.
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