John Textor has found quite a hobby to occupy the international football break: he has in fact scheduled an average of one interview per day with a candidate for the position of coach of Olympique Lyonnais. Even before formalizing the ousting of Laurent Blanc, the American owner met Graham Potter (ex-Brighton and Chelsea) then Oliver Glasner (ex-Frankfurt), before continuing with Habib Beye (Red Star, National), the always favorite Gennaro Gattuso (ex-Naples and AC Milan) and now Frank Lampard (ex-Chelsea). So many different coach profiles which say a lot about the vagueness surrounding this OL version of John Textor. Five days before the next match against Le Havre, the red lantern of Ligue 1 trained Tuesday morning out of sight, headed by Jérémie Bréchet (regular U19 coach), alongside Jean-François Vulliez (former director of the club’s academy) and Sonny Anderson.
Will this interim trio be on the bench Sunday evening at Parc OL? This is not at all certain as John Textor seems determined to find Lolo White’s successor as quickly as possible. But in fact, how could this be confirmed after the unexpected departure in May of Jean-Michel Aulas, at the origin of his arrival, then after the frightening series of mid-season preparation matches? July to early August (four defeats in a row without a goal scored)? Because the possibilities would then have been significantly greater to find more calmly the one who was going to lead the project of this new OL for this 2023-2024 season supposed to lead to the club’s return to the Champions League.
What meaning does the recruitment of Paul Akouokou make?
This is one of John Textor’s major errors since his reign as majority shareholder began in December 2022. And especially since only ten days before being sacked, Laurent Blanc had seen his long-standing wish granted. : that of obtaining the reinforcement of a defensive midfielder, Paul Akouokou (25 years old, Betis Sevilla). A player he wanted personally, even though the new recruitment unit installed since July 1 around Matthieu Louis-Jean had not targeted him. How does this recruitment of an Ivorian international with a blatant lack of playing time/references (32 La Liga matches since 2020), for 3 million euros, make any sense in this context? History will remember that the now former Lyon coach was not even able to call on him for a single minute in Ligue 1 before leaving.
Four months earlier, during his press conference as CEO of Olympique Lyonnais, John Textor warned that this function linked to the dismissal of JMA was only “interim”. “It won’t last long,” he assured. This club needs a CEO based here, rooted in the history and culture of the region. It’s one of the best jobs possible. » Even if he has since appointed Santiago Cucci as executive president, the 57-year-old American has acquired a taste for responsibility in the sporting field and is clearly not just a simple owner.
Mendes’ shadow looms after Barcola and Moreira transfers
After personally bringing in Brazilian winger Jeffinho (from Botafogo, one of the two other clubs in the Eagle Football galaxy, with Molenbeek in Belgium) and trying to recruit Joao Gomes (Flamengo) in January, John Textor did everything to sign Chelsea’s American winger Christian Pulisic, even if it means approach him in person during a vacation in Florida. Then comes a thorny news story surrounding her recent privileged relationship with star agent Jorge Mendes. Notably representative of the current Botafogo coach Bruno Lage, he is above all at the origin of the resounding departure of Bradley Barcola to PSG and the surprise arrival of Diego Moreira (Chelsea) at the end of the summer transfer window. Did he set out to have immense influence over OL’s sports policy, as has been the case, for example, since Paris Saint-Germain had Luis Campos as advisor?
This prospect is in any case not likely to reassure Lyon supporters, especially since the Portuguese also represents Gennaro Gattuso, who remains a failure in Valencia. “If he favors Jorge Mendes over his own recruitment unit, it is both inconsistent and worrying,” points out Thomas, a long-time OL supporter. When he sets foot in a club like Valencia, it is not for a one shot. This is what makes us fear the worst. » The worst thing about this OL in full decline in Ligue 1 (7th in 2020 and 2023, 8th in 2022, 1 draw and 3 defeats so far this season) lies in the parallel which makes more and more sense with the dark destiny of the Girondins de Bordeaux, from the takeover in 2018 by American investors GACP and King Street.
Points in common with the Girondins of the DaGrosa era
Banker specializing in real estate financing and supporter of the scapular club, David Gluzman partly validates this comparison. “There are three big points in common,” says the one who collaborates for the After magazine (RMC Sport). Both clubs have already clearly been overpaid, especially when we know that OL are chronically in deficit. The sale took a long time to finalize, which shows that there are big clouds over the sustainability of the business plan. And we see that John Textor is an economic minority in the operation, like Joe DaGrosa was at the time in Bordeaux, with a lot of debt and risks. »
Risks above all for Ares, the investment fund having participated in the majority of the loan taken out by the Eagle Football holding company. This is where the main difference lies compared to the Girondins of the GACP-King Street-Fortress era, as David Gluzman details.
What can save OL is the quality of its shareholders and the fact that the club has several layers of protection compared to the Girondins, namely a player and real estate asset with the stadium, the training center and now the Arena. If the financial situation gets too out of hand, Ares will find that Textor will never be able to repay them and will become the owner of the club. Ares could then be reimbursed from the sale of players but also real estate. It could rather be compared to Elliott’s situation at AC Milan and Losc, Gérard Lopez era. I really have the impression that Textor bought a villa for 10 million euros without being able to pay the property tax. »
The Lukeba and Barcola hiccups and their consequences before the DNCG
In this case it was a club for 800 million euros, but without being able to afford star recruits at all costs like his compatriot Todd Boehly at Chelsea. Even less after the huge summer hiccup of visits to the DNCG, with the sanction of the management of the payroll. A situation which would have been avoided in the event of the sale of the two most promising Lyon players, Castello Lukeba and Bradley Barcola. Except that John Textor vetoed these departures… before giving in in August to their wish to join Leipzig and PSG respectively. So many procrastinations which contrast with the ambient tranquility which accompanied the press presentation of the LDLC Arena on Tuesday, two months before its first major meeting, with the Asvel-Bayern Munich basketball match in the Euroleague (November 23).
Scheduled for this visit, Santiago Cucci was ultimately absent at the last minute. In an organization chart cruelly lacking a sports director setting the course, we therefore have the boss John Textor, a real free electron in the transfer window, his representative in Lyon Santiago Cucci, the presence of the former right-hand man of Jean-Michel Aulas, Vincent Ponsot (football director), who pushed this week for the candidacy of Christophe Galtier, and a new recruitment team, not always listened to, around Matthieu Louis-Jean. We have already experienced better harmony, even during this endless drought of titles in Lyon since 2012, right?