Here’s a quick recap of what’s been going on at OL recently. There have been talks of several depatures while Aulas has also promised new players, perhaps even this week.
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Kim Kallstrom has left Lyon for Spartak Moscow. The Russian club paid €3m with the possibility of another €600k based on performance. This transfer has long been expected though no less disheartening. Kallstrom was one of my favorite players, often underrated and gifted with lots of versatility. He’s had some fantastic seasons at Lyon, and without him, I think Lyon might have ended up mid-table last year. So why did Lyon let him go?
Because of Lyon’s constrained finances this year (overspending in the past four seasons, of which they have recouped less than 10%, as well as no Champions League qualification), money is hard to come by for Les Gones. To reduce the financial strain, Aulas wanted to sell certain players to reduce the wage bill, and Kallstrom, as one of the highest earners in the club (€3.7m), was on that list.
It’s awful to think that Lyon went from a club that was the second highest spender in all of Europe three years ago to one that’s unable to pay one of their best players. I’m going to go cry now.
Goodbye, Kim. I don’t know how I’ll go on without you.
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Other players that Aulas is trying to get rid of are Michel Bastos and Aly Cissokho. However, these two I’m happy to see go. They haven’t been that great, and both have been wanting to leave. Unfortunately, despite the interest they’ve generated, no club seems willing to meet the €10m fee that Aulas has placed on them. It remains to be seen if Aulas will be willing to negotiate further, but at the very least, if Cissokho isn’t sold, he might be loaned. Valencia has offered to take him for the season and will pay his wages for that year (€2.5m). It’s a bit ironic, actually – for once, Lyon are having difficulty in selling players given that in the past, that’s what the club was known for.
If Cissokho leaves, Lyon will consider Fabrice N’Sakala of Troyes.
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By now, all of you have heard of the swap deal that PSG and Lyon are negotiating, where PSG will hand over Milan Bisevac for Anthony Reveillere and €2.5m in exchange. Bisevac is a good CB but will struggle for playing time at PSG (plus he takes up a non-EU spot that will eventually go to Lucas Moura), so if he comes, that’s great for Lyon. However, I don’t like the idea of losing Reveillere in exchange. He’s one of OL’s best players and has been at the club for over nine years. He can play on both the right and the left as an attacking fullback, which has been so useful over the years. I also don’t like the idea of handing over one of our best players to PSG, who can buy players from any club in the world – maybe even from other planets. Also, why are Lyon also paying €2.5m? Why not just pay €2.5m to get a CB from another club and keep Reveillere?
In this case, the wage bill argument isn’t holding up. Reveillere earns approximately €2.5m, and if Bisevac comes, he wants more than the €1.8m he’s already earning with PSG. Even if Lyon end up paying Bisevac €2m, they aren’t saving very much in the end. I’d rather Lyon find another CB elsewhere.
The club has been linked with Leo, who Cruzeiro is willing to sell for €3m. Lyon have also been keeping tabs on Stefan Savic of Manchester City and PSG’s Mamadou Sakho.
The good news is that despite interest from Barcelona, Fenerbahce, and Roma, Dejan Lovren will most likely be staying at Lyon. Aulas has slapped at €20m price tag on the defender, so hopefully that will keep other clubs away.
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Lyon have also been looking at midfielders, but so far, none seem to fit Kallstrom’s profile. The rumor that made the biggest noise involves Benjamin Corgnet, an attacking midfielder at Dijon. Lyon have expressed interest, but they also confirmed that Corgnet is not a priority and that he may be surplus to requirements (Clement Grenier and Yoann Gourcuff already play in his position).
Steed Malbranque, a graduate of OL’s youth academy, is another possibility. He’s a free agent but hasn’t played professionally since he left St. Etienne last year. He’s been training with the team for the month and even played for a short while in the friendly against Porto. However, Remi Garde still hasn’t made up his mind. He likes Malbranque’s profile and experience, which would be an important addition to a squad that’s losing most of its veteran players. But he’s far from the level he needs to be, so Garde will likely wait another few weeks as he monitors Malbranque’s fitness.
Steed’s coming back. Maybe.
Another possibility is Adrien Silva of Sporting Portugal, who is unsure of playing time. Lyon scouts have also been keeping tabs on Cristian Tanase, but his €4m price tag may be too much.
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In somewhat scarier news, Hugo Lloris could still leave for Tottenham. Aulas wants at least €16m but Tottenham are only willing to pay €10m (and Lyon are so cash-strapped that they may have to accept it). However, Tottenham haven’t sorted out their own problems with Luka Modric, who wants to leave for Barcelona. If they do sell him, Tottenham will have the cash for Lloris (and possibly Cissokho). But they are also looking at Julio Cesar, who left Inter as a free agent. Financially, Cesar would be a better option for Tottenham than Lloris.
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On the international front, Les Bleues (the women’s national team) lost today in their third place match against Canada, which means no Olympic medal for the ladies. This is sad but unsurprising – while France has many talented female players, European women’s soccer as a whole isn’t as strong a program as it is in North America and Asia. But still, it would have been nice for the girls to win; they worked hard to get there.
Lyon provided thirteen players to the women’s football tournament at the Olympics: Céline Deville, Sarah Bouhaddi, Wendie Renard, Laura Georges, Corine Franco, Sonia Bompastor, Sabrina Viguier, Camille Abily, Louisa Necib, Eugénie Le Sommer, Élodie Thomis (France), Lotta Schelin (Sweden), and Ami Otaki (Japan).
On the men’s side, Didier Deschamps announced his first squad list for their friendly against Uruguay. From Lyon, Hugo Lloris, Bafetimbi Gomis, Jimmy Briand, and Maxime Gonalons. This is the first call up Gonalons. Deschamps decided not to call up Yoann Gourcuff but assured everyone that he is still keeping an eye on him.
Erik Mombaerts, the manager of the French U21 side, has called up his squad, which will be resume qualification for Euro 2013. Gueida Fofana, Clement Grenier, and Alexandre Lacazette will be part of the team.
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All three of Lyon’s kits for next season have been released. Their home, away, and European jerseys look better than last year. The European kit is also in 3D. I still haven’t figured out why as no one watches football in 3D, at least not yet. But it’s black, which I like. How about you guys?
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The best news for last – beIN Sports will be broadcasting three L1 games this weekend. On Friday, tune in at 2 PM EST for the Ligue 1 Preview show, followed by a live broadcast of Montpellier vs. Toulouse, the season opener. On Saturday, PSG vs. Lorient will kick off at 3 PM. At 5 PM, there will be a delayed broadcast of Rennes vs. Lyon, and at 7 PM, Nice vs. Ajaccio. On Sunday, catch Reims vs. Marseille at 3 PM.
beIN Sports did a fantastic job with the PSG vs. Barcelona friendly, so I for one am super excited for more coverage. Right now, these games will be available online at www.beinsport.tv, though once broadcasting rights are determined, the channel will also be available through most cable providers (at least I hope).