OL are preparing for their visit to the DNCG. This should be better than last season with the sales of the LDLC Arena and the women’s teams. However, Les Gones will still have to part with several elements.
Maintain the momentum for 2024 and not suffer a financial slippage. Despite their European qualification, OL will not have an easy summer to manage. The Lyonnais have not yet validated the DNCG stage. This episode was catastrophic last year. John Textor had not provided sufficient financial guarantees and OL had seen its payroll controlled. The Rhone club had been delayed in purchasing players, having to sell Castello Lukeba and Bradley Barcola in August. In 2024, OL seems better equipped with the Europa League but above all the cash flow linked to the sales of the LDLC Arena and OL Reign.
To be spendthrift, OL must exclude the world
However, this will not be enough to have peace of mind regarding the DNCG and to be able to recruit new players. The Media Gones information account X is clear: OL must sell or get rid of numerous players and recover several tens of millions of euros. This is essential to have financial peace of mind. Media Gones lists no less than 13 players likely to leave. There are often undesirables, little used or very well paid like Dejan Lovren, Paul Akouokou, Johann Lepenant and Amin Sarr among others.
But, he also suggests letting go of more important players in Pierre Sage’s group: Corentin Tolisso, Nicolas Tagliafico, Jake O’Brien, Rayan Cherki and Maxence Caqueret. The latter is seen as the best market value of the lot. This analysis is based on his Transfermarkt rating of €20 million. OL must be able to recover at least this amount in theory. These 13 players could bring in 90 million euros in total without counting their salaries. Some names will not please Lyon supporters, but the prospect of experiencing a calmer start to the season than last year should console them.
