Matthieu Udol

Matthieu Udol is a 30-year-old French left back currently playing for Lens in Ligue 1, a club he joined in a transfer valued at around 3.5 million euros in July 2025. The move represented a step up in profile for a defender who has built his career steadily through the French football pyramid, collecting Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 winners' medals along the way.

Udol has started all five of his appearances in the 2025/26 season, logging 440 minutes and carrying a respectable average rating of 6.8. His best run of form came across three matches in March, where he contributed a goal in the 5-1 win over Angers and an assist in the 3-0 victory against Metz, earning ratings of 7.5 and 7.33 respectively. Those performances underlined his ability to contribute in the final third as well as fulfil his defensive duties, which is increasingly expected of modern full backs in Ligue 1. The 3-0 defeat at Lille in early April was a low point, where his rating dropped to 5.85, reflecting a difficult afternoon for the whole Lens backline.

Within the Lens setup, Udol appears to be the first-choice option at left back, having started every available fixture. His role suits a team that likes to build from deep and use wide areas to create, and his willingness to get forward, as evidenced by his direct goal contribution in March, adds an extra dimension to Lens attacks. SportSignals' AI analysis engine has tracked Lens across several fixtures this season, noting the variance in their defensive performances depending on the quality of opposition they face.

In Udol's next outing, the key area to observe will be whether he can maintain the attacking output he showed in March while tightening up defensively after the Lille setback. His ability to time overlapping runs and deliver in the final third will be worth monitoring, particularly against sides that press high and look to exploit space in behind the full backs.