Zinédine Zidane impressed by France's transformation and Michael Olise's influence at the World Cup | OneFootball

Zinédine Zidane, viewed as the probable successor to Didier Deschamps, has been won over by France's transformed play at the World Cup, which he sees as far closer to his footballing beliefs. He will watch Tuesday's 21:00 semi-final against Spain on TV.

According to L'Équipe, he favours a true No 10 and has been taken by Michael Olise, the Bayern player and former Crystal Palace schemer who delivered five assists at the 2024 Olympics. He also values Olise's understanding with Kylian Mbappé.

After Algeria and his son Luca were knocked out 0-2 by Switzerland in the last 32, his focus returned fully to Les Bleus. Although he has not met the squad or watched them from the stands in the United States, he keeps close ties with Mbappé through Mohamed Sanhadji, the France team's head of security.

Connections are also in place with federation president Philippe Diallo, who has said for weeks he knows Deschamps' successor and is advancing matters alongside the tournament. Zidane has spoken with him, while long-time adviser Alain Migliaccio is on the front line.

Behind the scenes, Zidane is quietly shaping a staff likely to include his former assistants at Madrid, David Bettoni, 54, and Hamidou Msaidie, 51. They have joined meetings at his home or by video with potential hires, a group likely to be almost entirely refreshed from Deschamps' era. Some support roles could be filled by women.

Source: L'Équipe