Notice French city near the start (5,2)
I believe the answer is:
early on
'near the start' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'notice french city' is the wordplay.
'notice' becomes 'ear' (I've seen this in other clues).
'french city' becomes 'lyon' (Lyon is a city in France).
'ear'+'lyon'='EARLY ON'
(Other definitions for early on that I've seen before include "In the first stage" , "while still young?" , "Before much time has elapsed" , "Ere much time passed" , "near the start" .)