Thierno Ballo, Waly Diouf and Egor Proutsev, three new faces with unusual routes to Ligue 2 | OneFootball

Each August brings fresh faces to Ligue 2. L'Équipe spotlights three with unusual journeys, Thierno Ballo, Waly Diouf and Egor Proutsev.

Ballo, a 24-year-old winger at Saint-Étienne, is this summer’s priciest recruit in the division, excluding Reims activating Samuel Kotto’s option from Gent. Signed for three million euros, his ex-Millwall team-mate Tristan Crama is convinced he can thrive with more space and possession, noting his French helps.

The Austria international has one cap, was born in Abidjan, and featured in the Europa League for Rapid Vienna after time at Chelsea. Crama also praises his character and describes a 1.72m, technical, two-footed attacker who is sharp in the final action.

Diouf, a 29-year-old Dijon defender, was schooled at Paris Saint-Germain then Lyon, but turned professional abroad with spells in Spain, Lithuania, Tunisia and Czechia. He later returned to France with Versailles in National 2 after Covid, and now steps into Ligue 2. He says he sets no limits on his ambitions and will not change his approach.

Proutsev, 23, made an instant impact for Dunkerque with two first-time finishes and an assist for Marco Decherf in the win over Grenoble, quickly winning over Marcel-Tribut. The former Russia Under-21 international had been tracked since January 2024 before an early-window move from Red Star Belgrade.

Julien Lamy, his former team-mate at Celje, calls him calm and hard-working, an English speaker who can play on either flank or as a No 10. Lamy rates him as a technical player who both creates and finishes.

Source: L'Équipe

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