Five Lyon stars your club should sign as firesale looms

Tom Weber

Updated: 16 Nov 2024 11:46 CST
5 min read

Ernest Nuamah, John Textor, Lyon — © IMAGO

Olympique Lyon need to sell several players to avoid dropping down to Ligue 2 after being hit with severe sanctions.

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The Ligue 1 giants' owners Eagle Group have accrued debts in excess of €500 million after recording losses year after year. Club bosses were summoned before French football's financial watchdog, the DNCG, on November 16 to explain the situation.

Owner John Textor assured the DNCG that the club could balance the books via sales before the end of the season, but his argument wasn't convincing enough and Lyon were hit with a provisional relegation to Ligue 2 and a transfer ban.

The club have been given the chance to get their finances in order before the season concludes, so pretty much every player has been made available for sale in January.

Here are five likely candidates to get sold amid this sad situation for one of France's biggest clubs...

Rayan Cherki (attacking midfielder)

The first name on the list is Rayan Cherki, truly the most obvious player to feature here. The 21-year-old was once Lyon's most prized possession, but he was made available for just €10m-€15m in the summer.

That was because he was coming off a difficult season and had just a year left to run on his contract. However, moves to PSG and Borussia Dortmund fell through, so he ended up penning a one-year extension.

Even before Friday's ruling, Cherki was to be sold in 2025. “We lost €15m from his sale last summer, but his value is now way higher," Textor said on Saturday.

He was previously linked with Chelsea and Man Utd, while Liverpool are said to have recently enquired about him. His price tag stands at €25m.

Malick Fofana (winger)

Lyon thought they pulled off a coup when they signed Malick Fofana for €19.5m from Gent in January - and they were right. The highly-rated Belgian winger has to date notched nine goals and three assists in 36 games while not always being a regular starter.

The 19-year-old has shown immense promise and it was a surprise that no Premier League club swooped for him when Lyon came calling, though he was perhaps still too raw at the time.

With a year of Ligue 1 football under his belt, he will be a sought-after commodity in January. He currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €20.6m.

Gift Orban (striker)

Similar to Fofana, it was viewed as an impressive piece of business when Lyon snapped up his teammate Gift Orban. The Nigerian had been prolific for Gent and was being courted by Premier League sides.

Unlike Fofana, however, Orban has struggled to settle in Lyon. While there have been glimpses of his goalscoring ability, the 22-year-old's biggest problem has been even getting onto the pitch.

Omitted from several matchday squads since joining, the striker has been linked with a move away for a few weeks now. His value has plummeted since joining and currently stands at €12.5m.

Ernest Nuamah (winger)

A player who has already been the protagonist of a strange transfer saga this year, right-winger Ernest Nuamah was supposed to leave Lyon in the summer, mere weeks after joining permanently off the back of an encouraging loan.

He had initially been snapped up from affiliate side Molenbeek for an eyebrow-raising €28.5m but Lyon swiftly opened talks with Premier League clubs looking to sign him. They first reached an agreement with Everton before Fulham swooped in and struck a deal on Deadline Day.

Textor was pushing for Nuamah to leave but he was reportedly so reluctant to do so that he cried during his Fulham medical and then disappeared without a trace, which caused the move to collapse.

Perhaps the 21-year-old should have left in the summer because he has struggled to impress to the same level he did last season, not yet recording a single goal contribution.

Still, he remains highly rated and has an ETV of €20.9m.

Maxence Caqueret (central midfielder)

Another mercurial talent who hasn't always performed as expected, Maxence Caqueret has also been linked with moves away in recent times. A tidy midfielder on his day, the 24-year-old is a player who always seems on the verge of taking that next step before ultimately falling short.

A change of scenery could be exactly what is needed for the Lyon homegrown to fulfil his clear potential. When Caqueret plays with confidence and in the right system, he can be one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1.

His ETV once peaked at €37.2m but not merely stands at €15.3m. He could be a bargain signing for a club that knows how to utilise him.