Europe or disillusion: where will Lyon end up?
13th in the league standings at the winter break, no signal was good for Lyon at the start of a winter transfer window, usually calm in the Rhône, which turned out to be rather restless. First major movement: the departure of Juninho. Upsetting for the fans, the departure of the sporting director is a shock for the club. For a priori internal reasons, the Brazilian left the ship (not necessarily against the intention of most members of the club) causing several mutations. The upgrading of the post of Bruno Cheyroufirst of all, previously in conflict with the sporting director according to several media, proved useful in the recruitment of Romain Faivre (Brest) and the loan of Tanguy Ndombele (Tottenham) obtained this winter. Back at the press conference, the director of recruitment showed great activity and real involvement: the departure of Juninho constitutes, for him, a real new start. On the other hand, the return to the front line of Jean-Michel Aulas (even though he never really left her) helped confirm Pierre Bosch in his post, despite numerous detractors in view of the more than insufficient results. Finally, the departure of the sporting director was found at the level of the players themselves, being surely the trigger for a major crossover in the workforce.
In fact, the worrying situation of the club pushed him to carry out, against his own “tradition”, a turbulent winter transfer window. The departure of Bruno Guimaraes, first of all, constituted a reversal of situation something not very unexpected on the side of the supporters. The cash inflow (42 million euros plus any bonuses) that it brings nevertheless represents a boon for OL, in difficulty in terms of finances since the health crisis. OL, contrary to the speech of its president, had to sell well to recruit. The best illustration of this is the abortive transfer of Sardar Azmoun, left for Bayer Leverkusen after too long procrastination from the Lyon club. However, the recruitment of Romain Faivre in Brest and the return in the form of a loan of Tanguy Ndombele came to rekindle hope as to the quality of the workforce, weakened by the departure of one of its hubs. Both made a significant impact against Monaco, especially from a technical point of view. However, their adaptation will have to be rapid: the wounds of Houssem Aouar and Rayan Cherki will use the offensive options, and the level of Thiago Mendes being often below expectations in the middle. If the results seemed positive for many, the late departures ofIslam Slimane and Xherdan Shaquiri are doing a bit of a job, despite a positive financial transaction for the Swiss (7M€). The options for Bosz have therefore been greatly reduced, despite the hopeful quality that the recruits will bring (to which must be added the returns close to Karl Toko-Ekambiof Tino Kadewere or even of Jason Denayer and Jeff Reine-Adelaide).
The club is thus working a real step back, by bringing back its ex-midfielder (Ndombele) or by eliminating the post of sports director. The choice of Faivre also contributes to this dynamic: OL have often resorted to Ligue 1 hopefuls to expand their squad, on the transfer market. These major winter changes must, in any case, have an impact quickly first team results. The gamble of consolidating Bosz in his position gives him the means to bounce back, but under what deadline? Redemption will have to manifest itself on the pitch, the eternal purpose of football…
Photos by Icon Sport.