2024-01-02 13:10:55
By TD
Published 5 hours ago, Updated now
John Textor, the owner of Olympique Lyonnais. Frédéric Chambert / Frederic Chambert / Panoramic
SERIE 7/8 – The project of the American businessman, who became the majority shareholder of Olympique Lyonnais a year ago, is still as vague. As illustrated by his incomprehensible decisions and his inadequate communication.
Hopeless. Having become the majority shareholder of Olympique Lyonnais a year ago, John Textor has never ceased, both through his complacency and his clumsy communication (to say the least), to maintain the vagueness around his project, thus pulling the Rhone formation downwards. To the great dismay of many Les Gones supporters.
First (big) hiccup: the passage in front of the National Directorate of Control and Management (DNCG). At the beginning of July, the financial policeman of French football sanctioned Olympique Lyonnais with a “supervision of the payroll of players under contract and the transfer compensation included therein for the 2023-2024 season“. A real blow for the American businessman who claimed to want to greatly improve the Lyon squad during the transfer market. “Welcome in France…», he reacted quite quickly. This decision is also a real snub for the man who had not hesitated, a few weeks earlier, to remove Jean-Michel Aulas from the presidency of the club due to deep disagreements and a war of egos…But this same ” JMA” – which is no stranger to the decline of Olympique Lyonnais, let us point out –, accustomed to this type of meeting, had put together a file in which several sales appeared, notably that of Castello Lukeba. But John Textor, no doubt out of excess confidence – some would say out of arrogance – had felt he could do without the experience of the former Rhone leader…and had assured that he had no intention of separating from its best elements including its young talents with significant valorization. Except that after the confirmation of the DNCG’s decision, and faced with a (very) delicate financial situation, he was finally forced to separate from…Castello Lukeba (RB Leipzig) and Bradley Barcola (Paris SG). All that for that… John Textor did not recognize this complacency – which had serious consequences on Lyon recruitment – right away. It took him time. “Now we know how to prepare for it. We learned a lot during our first visit», he admitted at the end of November, after another appearance in front of the financial policeman of French football. All is said.
Read alsoOlympique Lyonnais: the “opposition” with Textor created “a blockage among the players”, assures Aulas
Another (big) hiccup: the departure and succession of Laurent Blanc. After a remarkable second part of the 2022-2023 financial year, the “President” is reinforced in his position by John Textor. Quite surprising as the American likes to put his stamp on the organization chart of the clubs he takes over (Botafogo FR, RWD Molenbeek). Except that in mid-September, unhappy with the club’s results, the (at the time) 57-year-old businessman decided to part ways with the 1998 world champion…after only four (small) matches. A sense of timing, no doubt. Certainly, the results – one draw, three losses – were not there. But it would undoubtedly have been more judicious to dismiss the French coach before the summer to build something solid during the off-season with a new technician and recruitment adapted to the latter’s needs. Moreover, John Textor (also) recognized his error: “Looking back, my main mistake is not having changed my management this summer», he declared in an interview given to Monde, in mid-December. Everything is said (once again). And the rest is not much better. Fabio Grosso, preferred to Gennaro Gattuso, did no better than his predecessor…and was fired at the end of November. To replace him, several names have been announced: Bruno Génésio, Jorge Sampaoli and Igor Tudor. Three coaches whose profiles are very different… It is therefore difficult to understand the intentions of “JT”. Finally, Pierre Sage, whose interim role proved successful, was extended to the Lyon bench. For how long ?
More generally, we have the feeling that John Textor does not have a clear vision for Olympique Lyonnais…That he is “toying” with it to serve the interests of Eagle Football (his company). The various operations (loans, transfers) between “his” clubs (Jeffinho, Ernest Nuamah, Jake O’Brien, Jeff Reine-Adélaïde etc.) suggest this. Just like his greater involvement with Brazil (Botafogo FR) or his ambition to buy a Portuguese team. But maybe that’s not the case and he just needs more time to implement his strategy. We should know more in the coming months. The retention of Pierre Sage as coach seems to move towards more seriousness and consistency. It was time…
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