In terms of television money, six-times French champions Olympique Lyon would risk relegation if they were in the Premier League.

Lyon pocketed under 45 million euros from TV rights last season, which is the equivalent of what the bottom clubs in England cashed in. Lyon’s rivals like Olympique Marseille and Girondins Bordeaux had to be content with under 35 million euros, less than any top-flight English side.

When you add to that the fact that the kind of money made by French clubs from ticketing and merchandising is nowhere near the sums generated in England, you understand why you have no big names playing in France and why Lyon, the measure of all things in France, have never advanced beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

In a few months, the French Professional Football League will study offers from broadcasters for the 2008-2011 period. It is unlikely they will get more than the 600 million euros a year pay-TV channel Canal Plus are currently paying.

Now look at the transfers so far. Mathieu Bodmer and Kader Keita joining Lyon from Lille, Benoit Cheyrou leaving Auxerre for Marseille. Such signings can’t compete with the players joining clubs in England, Spain, Italy or even Germany.

If the stars aren’t there, broadcasters will be reluctant to pay fortunes to show the action. Even rights-holders Canal Plus are showing more and more English or Spanish matches because the French ones are deemed boring in comparison.

Clubs like Chelsea or AC Milan often make the front page of L’Equipe nowadays, which would have been inconceivable a few years back.

French clubs need more money to be more attractive but would need to be more attractive to make more money. It seems there is no solution. I bet that in a few weeks, several of the most exciting Ligue 1 players will have signed for English clubs.

Patrick Vignal, Paris