In the small stadium bowl of Fontvieille, Monaco may finally be ready to welcome Ansu Fati back into competitive football. The 23-year-old forward, signed permanently from Barcelona in the summer after a productive loan spell in the principality, is in contention to make his first official appearance of the 2026-27 campaign when Toulouse visit in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
It would end a cautious start to the season for Fati, whose pre-season was interrupted by a calf problem. Monaco chose not to rush the attacker, instead putting him through a progressive fitness programme designed to avoid a more serious setback. He had been close to inclusion for the match against Lens, but coach Filipe Luis decided that the international break offered a better point from which to prepare his return.
Fati took an important step on 3 October, playing the first half of Monaco’s 2-0 friendly win over Pisa. Folarin Balogun and Mika Biereth scored in that match, while Fati offered signs of the qualities that persuaded the club to turn his loan into a permanent transfer.
A return shaped by patience
Filipe Luis was encouraged by what he saw from the former Barcelona forward against Pisa. “He is fantastic on the ball and has many qualities,” the Brazilian said. “He can create chances very easily. I think he produced two potential assists; they were not finished, but the passes were there. Defensively, he worked hard and gave everything.”
The Monaco coach also identified the next stage of Fati’s adaptation. He wants the forward operating nearer the opposition goal, rather than dropping too deep and leaving dangerous spaces unused. “We have to try to position him as close to the penalty area as possible,” Filipe Luis explained. “That is what we need to work on, because he is very dangerous near goal.”
Monaco paid Barcelona €11 million to secure Fati’s transfer this summer, handing him a contract until 2030. The decision followed a successful previous season at Stade Louis II, when he scored 12 times: 11 goals in Ligue 1 and one in the Champions League. After a delayed beginning this time around, the Toulouse fixture could open the next chapter of his Monaco stay.
