Malick Fofana, OL’s unexpected supersub

At 19, Malick Fofana has everything to succeed. Endowed with a certain talent for football, the Belgian has golden feet and a head on his shoulders. Since his arrival at Olympique Lyonnais last January, compliments have been pouring in regarding the former La Gantoise player. It’s very simple, everyone interviewed about him at the club tells us of a respectful, polite and humble boy. A real gem on which the residents of Groupama Stadium are counting. The latter beat the competition, notably embodied by Bayern Munich, to offer themselves one of the best prospects of the 2005 generation during the winter transfer window. They did not hesitate to break the bank to carry out this operation.

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The jokers de luxe of the OL

In fact, they put €17M on the table. To this amount, OL could add a maximum of €5M in bonuses as well as 20% profit-sharing on the added value of a possible transfer. But the investment is worth it according to the people of Rhone who tell us about Fofana as a “very big talent”. Substitute upon his arrival, the native of Aalst quickly made his mark and won over everyone thanks to his qualities and his involvement. Thus, during his first six months between Rhône and Saône, this versatile element, capable of playing as both a winger and piston, was used 21 times in all competitions. But Pierre Sage above all made him a joker since he was only started 6 times.

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Which did not prevent him from scoring 4 goals. This season, the Belgian wanted to continue his momentum and try to find a place in the Lyon eleven. But at the moment, that’s not really the case. Appearing 7 times, he was only started twice. But he managed to be decisive during the 255 minutes he had to sink his teeth into. Indeed, he was a decisive passer once (for Gift Orban against Strasbourg). Well served by Rayan Cherki, he also scored yesterday at the very end of the match during the match in Toulouse. A goal that was worth a lot since it gave his team three points (2-1, 95th). But the Belgian is used to taking on this role of luxury joker.

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Pierre Sage believes in himself

Indeed, it is the fourth time that he has found the net since his arrival in Lyon when he starts on the bench. After an average performance Thursday evening against Olympiakos in the Europa League while he was the starter, Fofana, who entered in the 52nd, was able to respond in the best possible way on Sunday. But as usual, the young baby-faced player, hero of the match, was modest. “I work hard to always help the team. I scored. Everyone has their moments, this was for me… It makes me feel good, it’s my first goal this season.” He hopes to score others, who for many OL supporters clearly deserves a starting place. But the competition is fierce and Fofana must also be more decisive when he starts in the eleven.

Pierre Sage has, in any case, complete confidence in himself and his talent. “For me, he is a player who has a very high level in his software and who, today, is preparing for that. I actually think that the next step will be to be able to start matches and maintain your level of performance. So, from the moment he has had several good matches in a row and we make the same observations as when he comes off the bench, we will be able to say to ourselves that that is a given, and then he continues the matches . I think he will have a very bright future.” Maxence Caqueret is also excited about him. “We often notice him when he comes in but I know he is capable of being decisive when he starts. It’s just a little trigger that he must have, and that he will have soon. Enough to give additional headaches to Pierre Sage, who faces a real headache when he has to compose his starting lineup.