Confident after his appearance in front of the DNCG this Thursday, the owner of Olympique Lyonnais, John Textor, finally bluffed. Indeed, OL have not been spared by the financial policeman of French football, since the Rhone club has suffered from a control of its payroll, a ban on recruitment during the next transfer window, and above all relegation to Ligue 2 at the end of the season if the financial situation does not improve. Fortunately the American tightrope walker was not worried.
Still, this situation will force Olympique Lyonnais to sell accordingly during the next transfer window. And given the requirements of the DNCG, we could expect departures of important players. We speak in the conditional, because John Textor does not share this opinion.
During a press conference organized this Saturday, the American businessman wanted to reassure Lyon supporters by announcing that Pierre Sage’s squad would not be dismantled. Indeed, Textor suggested that the best elements like Rayan Cherki and Malick Fofana should not leave the ship in January.
“Cherki? We lost 15 million euros in sales but with a longer-term deal. He has a greater value today than this summer. He should stay in January, but it will be his choice, as always in football. We have 29 players in the first team. Ideally we should have 23 or 24 players. There are six players too many and we wanted to recruit to be stronger in the championship. puts on the ground. We have too many players,” he said.
In other words, John Textor wants to keep his best players, and will make sure to relieve OL of undesirables. In the end, Olympique Lyonnais will find themselves in the same situation as at the end of August. But a big difference should be noted. If the Rhone club does not manage to part with undesirables, certain players with good odds on the transfer market could be sold in the final hours of the transfer window.
John Textor will therefore try a poker game which could prove to be a losing one. Because one thing is certain, the suitors of Cherki, Fofana or even Nuamah, will be in shark mode and will wait for OL to have the knife to their throat to go on the offensive by submitting discount offers.
January, the month of all dangers for Olympique Lyonnais.
