Indisputable holder with Olympique de Marseille and selected for the France team for a few weeks, Jonathan Clauss should not ultimately make the trip with the Blues.
Beaten on the line? According to the latest information from RMC Sport and the newspaper L’Equipe, Olympique de Marseille defender Jonathan Clauss should not be called up by Didier Deschamps for the next World Cup which begins on November 20. However, the side has been systematically called up to the France team since last March, but the uncertainties around Kimpembe and Varane and defense could push Didier Deschamps to favor centrals rather than full-backs.
In addition, the OM player has a very attacking profile and is more comfortable in a 5-man defense and a piston role, not necessarily ideal if Didier Deschamps wants to switch back to a 4-man defense, which seems to be the trend a few days before the first match of the Blues against Australia (November 22).
Jonathan Clauss was born on September 25, 1992 in Strasbourg, a French metropolis located in the Bas-Rhin department in the Alsace region. The current number 11 of RC Lens grew up in Osthoffen, a town west of Strasbourg. From the age of two, Jonathan started with a ball in his feet according to his mother. He joined the Racing Club de Strasbourg from his childhood, at the age of 8, with the aim of becoming a professional footballer. Finally not retained by the Alsatian club, it is a blow for the right side who must live the separation of his parents at the same time. Jonathan is experiencing complicated times and decides to continue football.
After this hard blow, he bounced back to the Association Sportive Pierrots Vauban de Strasbourg, in the fifth division. Relegated from his first season in D6, he spent two more seasons there before crossing the border and joining the German club SV Linx, in the sixth German division, for two seasons. He returned to Lorraine after two years and continued his amateur career at Raon-l’Étape (Vosges) in the fifth division. Jonathan Clauss stays there for a season. Promoted to CFA, he left the Vosges club and signed the following season (in 2016-2017) at US Avranches in National (third division). The native of Strasbourg became famous for a few days after his incredible goal scored against Laval in the Coupe de France.
After having had a lot of difficulty turning professional, Jonathan Clauss discovered the professional world in 2017 at the age of 24 when he signed in Ligue 2 at Quevilly-Rouen. A club where he will only play for a year before returning to Germany in the second division (Bundesliga 2) at Arminia Bielefeld, where his talent does not go unnoticed, including among Ligue 1 clubs. During the 2020 season -2021, Jonathan Clauss discovers Ligue 1 with Racing Club de Lens, which has just been promoted to the top flight. His first season was a success where he finished with three goals and six assists. Key player in Franck Haise’s eleven, the Lensois coach, Jonathan Clauss is today one of the most decisive players in Europe in his position. Performances that Didier Deschamps did not miss. The coach of the France team has called the right side for the next meeting where the Blues will face on March 25 and 29, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa.
Right side with a very attacking profile, Jonathan Clauss is one of the most decisive players in Ligue 1 but also in Europe. During the 2020-2021 season, the Lensois scored three goals and delivered six assists. Since the start of this 2021-2022 season, 29 days have been played in Ligue 1 where Jonathan Clauss has 9 assists and 4 goals.
Under contract until June 2023 with RC Lens, the value of Jonathan Clauss is estimated at 10 million euros according to Transfermarkt. The new French international has a monthly salary of €40,000 this season, or €480,000 per year.
A revelation of recent years in Ligue 1 in his position, Jonathan Clauss went through a bad patch at the end of 2021. A period in which the right-back managed to overcome, in part thanks to his girlfriend Pauline, as he declared it to our colleagues from France Blue : “You have to cry. I forced myself not to do it and I talked about it with my girlfriend. At one point, she said to me: ‘but it’s not just the weak who cry’. It made me crazy. And I slept so well the next night that suddenly I thought to myself, next time, I will not hesitate to cry again.”
For the past few months, the performances of Jonathan Clauss with his RC club Lens did not go unnoticed. His name in the France team was often mentioned and Didier Deschamps decided to call the right side for the next gathering of the Blues.
Jonathan Clauss’ teammates did not hide their joy at seeing him selected for the France team.