Luca Zidane in frame as Algeria seek number one for CAN 2025 | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Algeria's search for a successor to Raïs M'Bolhi has intensified, with Alexis Guendouz ruled out of CAN 2025 by a calf injury and Luca Zidane now firmly in the conversation for the gloves.

The Granada goalkeeper, 27, competes with Oussama Benbot of USM Alger and Anthony Mandréa of Caen, the starter in Ivory Coast at the last CAN who only just made this squad.

Head coach Vladimir Petkovic will lean on new goalkeeping coach Guido Nanni, formerly at Roma with Luis Enrique and Claudio Ranieri. Zidane's only cap, a 2-1 win against Uganda, showcased footwork judged superior to Guendouz's. Petkovic will reveal his choice two or three days before Algeria's opener against Sudan on 24 December.

Algeria have not enjoyed the goalkeeping ripple effect seen in Cameroon or Morocco. M'Bolhi's 16-club career, now at ES Mostaganem aged 39, burnished his legend but did not breed successors.

Former defender Nordine Kourichi sees goalkeeper and centre-back as weak points, urging Zidane to prove he can help, and regrets he did not join earlier for competitive tests.

Journalist Nazim Bessol says the hierarchy is unclear, recalling Petkovic's stance on not picking a Third Division keeper and arguing post-M'Bolhi planning never happened as his dominance smothered competition amid staff changes.

That decision could shape Algeria's CAN and, later, a World Cup campaign in group J with Argentina, Austria and Jordan. Defensive understanding must be built quickly, and many see Zidane as a longer-term play.

Source: L'Équipe