AS Saint-Etienne are a club steeped in history.

Les Verts were one of the dominant clubs in Europe during the sixties and seventies, where they had an assortment of talent, including Michel Platini.

In total, they have won ten Ligue 1 titles, with seven of those coming in a nine season spell between 1967-1976. That makes them the most successful club in French history.

But they have not added to that tally since 1981. In recent years they have consistently been a top ten side in the French top tier, but the club have failed to qualify for the European Cup since the 1981–82 season.

Why? A big explanation is because the French outfit have been forced to sell a number of their talented players in recent years.

In fact, if you make a side based on their current players and those that they have sold, Saint-Etienne would be able to field a very talented side.

GK - STEPHANE RUFFIER

The French stopper has been a reliable man between the sticks for the club, having made 300 appearances across seven seasons.

LB - FAOUZI GHOULAM

The Algerian progressed through the youth teams at Saint-Etienne, before leaving for Napoli in 2014 for a fee of just €5 million. Ouch. He has been recently linked with a big money move to Manchester United.

CB - KURT ZOUMA

Zouma made his debut as a 16-year-old, and ended up making 73 appearances at the club across three seasons. He made a £12 million move to Chelsea in 2014, and is currently on loan at Stoke City.

CB - LOIC PERRIN

Perrin is a true legend at Les Verts. The 32-year-old has been at his hometown club since 1997, and is still going strong at the heart of their defence. Overall, he has made 380 appearances and scored 28 goals.

RB - MATHIEU DEBUCHY

Debuchy has only been at Saint-Etienne for a few months but he has already made a huge impression. His performances led to him receiving the Ligue 1 player of the month award for February.

CM - BLAISE MATUIDI

The defensive midfielder spent four seasons at the club between 2007-2011. He has since become one of the best in the world at his position after spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

CM - JOSHUA GUILAVOGUI

Guilavogui is another who came through the youth system at the French club. He was sold to Atletico Madrid for €10 million in 2013, and now finds himself in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg.

CM - FREDY GUARIN

The Colombian spent two seasons at Saint-Etienne, before leaving for just £900k in 2008. That has proven to be a poor decision. He now finds himself in China with Shanghai Shenhua after successful spells at Porto and Inter Milan.

LW - DIMITRI PAYET

Payet proved his footballing talents to the world with an impressive spell in the Premier League with West Ham United. He was also highly regarded at Saint-Etienne, having made 148 outings and scored 25 times in four seasons.

RW - PIERRE EMERICK-AUBAMEYANG

Undoubtedly the best player on this list. The Gabon international made his name with Les Verts, having notched 41 times in 97 times for the club between 2011 - 2013. 

ST - BAFETEMBI GOMIS

Gomis graduated from Saint-Etienne's youth academy in 2004, leaving the club in 2009 after scoring 49 times in 159 games. He is currently on fire in Turkey with Galatasaray, where he has scored an incredible 28 times in 29 games this season.

That's not a bad XI at all.