Hugo Greenhalgh

It’s said that it’s always helpful to have friends in high places. Yet, when non-league boss Jamie Day received a message encouraging him to apply for a national-team job, he could have been forgiven for giving his little black book a kiss. Day wasn’t even working as a manager at the time and was earning his keep as Adrian Pennock’s number two at National League Barrow.

Olympique Lyonnais are currently top of Ligue 1 with a team made up largely of homegrown academy players. Mathieu Boyer worked at the academy between 2008 and 2013 and helped instigate a new programme that brought through this generation of talented French footballers. Hugo Greenhalgh spoke to him about the inner workings of the academy and what English clubs could learn from the Lyon model. Mathieu, how would you compare Lyon’s academy with La Masia at Barcelona?

TFN Editor Hugo Greenhalgh on Matteo Guendouzi’s brilliant performance against Tottenham Hotspur… Sunday gave the world another thrilling North London Derby. In what is fast becoming one of the most entertaining fixtures in world football, it was hard to think of a player at the Emirates yesterday who for reasons good or some, did not have an impact on the final result. It was the 20-year-old with curly hair and the infectious smile who was perhaps the most influential overall.