When it comes to player recruitment, nobody in world football has a track record like Campos. The studied Portuguese is a maestro when it comes to identifying raw, undervalued talent. In recent years, his team of scouts and statisticians have repeatedly provided clubs with a crucial edge in a transfer market that is more congested and competitive than ever.

After helping Lille recover from the brink of bankruptcy in 2017 by capturing such starlets as Nicolas Pépé and Victor Osimhen, Campos' enormous influence has taken Les Dogues into Europe and to the upper reaches of Ligue 1.

Nous

Back in 2016-17, AS Monaco won the title with a side largely pieced together by Campos, a former Real Madrid scout who oversaw the signings of Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Thomas Lemar and even a young Kylian Mbappé. He left Monaco soon after that triumph, and with reports emerging that he may now be ready to quit the Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille fans will hope he bows out on a similar high.

Emulating that special Monaco side will be extremely hard, but there are plenty of reasons for the northerners to feel optimistic. Again, the new signings look to be inspired. Playing alongside the veteran José Fonte, the 20-year-old Sven Botman, who joined from Ajax, is a tower of strength and looks an ideal replacement for Gabriel, now of Arsenal. Botman was on the radar of several English clubs, but Lille's reputation as an ideal springboard for young players helped sway the Dutchman.

With Campos operating as the guide, Lille are cleverly mixing youth and experience. The Fonte-Botman duo is one example of that, but it is a similar story in attack where the 35-year-old Turkish international Burak Yilmaz has come in to help the three Jonathans: Bamba, Ikoné and David. The latter, also just 20, has looked raw and lacking in confidence following his move from Gent. If the club-record €30m signing turns out to be a flop, that will be a major blot on Campos' copybook. Yet he has bags of talent, and once David gets his first goal, I'm convinced he will start flying.

Old Dogue

Eyebrows were raised when Yilmaz was unveiled, and understandably so. He is at the end of his career and had never played in one of Europe's top five leagues. But the more games he plays for Lille, the more it looks like a masterstroke. The fact that the strong, burly centre-forward is one of only two players to have represented all of Turkey's Big Four - Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Trabzonspor - says a lot about his quality and even more about his character. This is a tough nut, unafraid to cross the boundaries of Istanbul's ferocious rivalries.

Lille are a slick, technical team. Yilmaz gives them something different: an up-at-them approach and a large dose of brute strength. The national team captain also seems to have transformed his Turkish club-mates. Right-back Zeki Celik has been exceptional this season, and playmaker Yusuf Yazici has finally put that knee injury behind him and is now showing his obvious quality.

Lille's foray into the Turkish market is a fine example of Campos' nous. His homeland Portugal used to be a favourite hunting ground, and the experienced sporting director ensures South America is well covered. But he is always trying to stay ahead of the game, and Turkey is one league that remains relatively untapped. If the recent performances of Celik, Yazici and Yilmaz are anything to go, there are some seriously good footballers in Turkey these days.

Emblematic: Renato Sanches

Christophe Galtier, the Lille coach, has a strong, balanced squad. The ace in the pack is Renato Sanches, a technical, all-action midfielder who covers the ground quicker than anyone and will run and run. Like so many players in recent years, the Portuguese has been rejuvenated at Lille.

With Sanches operating as the team's heartbeat, Lille have the potential to build on their impressive, unbeaten start. In the coming week, Galtier's side face Celtic, Lyon and AC Milan. The results of those games should tell us more about their ability to mount a title challenge. What is certain is that the extraordinary work carried out by Luis Campos over the past three years has turned this football club around.