Lille need the real Hakon Haraldsson for the run-in | OneFootball

Expected to lead Lille’s attack, Hakon Haraldsson has hit a slump, and a reset now would be invaluable. The club extended his contract to 2030 on 24 January, underlining their faith.

According to L'Équipe, he was withdrawn to whistles in Thursday’s Europa League last 16 first leg at Aston Villa, a 1-0 defeat. Deployed behind Olivier Giroud, he won two of 10 duels as Bruno Genesio lamented the team’s excess touches and dismissed concerns over his work-rate.

The Icelander sparkled in pre-season and early season after a €12m move from FC Copenhagen in 2023, and aimed to become the attacking leader following the departures of Jonathan David and Edon Zhegrova. Instead, his creativity has dwindled in recent weeks.

He owns one of Lille’s cleanest strikes and has scored with five of seven shots on target in Ligue 1 this season, yet since the New Year has been decisive only once, an assist for Nathan Ngoy at OL on 11 January, a 1-2 loss. In 2026 only one of 16 attempts has hit the target, compared with 29% earlier.

Unrecognisable since early February, he has averaged 3.38 out of 10, his last bright display coming on 14 February against Brest, a 1-1 draw when he was rated six while shielding the defence. Genesio says that, at 22, dips can happen but still views him as a technical leader. With trips to Rennes, Birmingham and Marseille before hosting Lens, a rebound would be timely.

Source: L'Équipe