Selling Mammana is the worst thing to do. Genesio is a drunk fool. We should have Diakhaby, Mammana, Marcelo, and Morel is the last option as he's shite. We're going to struggle.
I think the problem is that Mbiwa and Nkoulou are pretty much unsellable and they are stuck with them so someone has to be sacrificed. Plus most teams carry 4 cbs anyway.
Going to go out on a limb here and say I don't think we'll finish in the top half... Outside of Fekir there isn't much for goals here. I have high hopes for Depay but am worried he can't score at a high enough clip. Cornet is limited but maybe playing as a center forward full time is what he needs and he can follow the Lacazette path. The younger players brought in aren't even close to the finished product. Midfield is a disaster. Need Aouar to step up. Darder and Tousart are the only two quality mids. Ferri is a decent backup. Grenier is so frustrating. Have no expectation whatsoever. Defense is just shambles. Not worth commenting outside of the fullbacks brought in. Mendy or Marçal has to be better than Morel and Rybus. Tete is highly thought of. Lopes is class but he can't save our skin. Think he's the next one to leave next summer.
N'Koulou al Toro https://t.co/6n4dr3lU94 #SFT pic.twitter.com/JzScpSgSkq— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC_1906) August 5, 2017
So far, I'm absolutely thrilled with how the season has played out. I was convinced we would have a down year but the fact that we're sitting in 3rd equal on points with last years champions is pretty damn nice.
Today was up and down. I never felt good, really never thought we had a chance. So the up and down Depay comes on and scores a whacky winner and gets stitches to boot for his troubles. We're looking at a 2 point gap with 8 matches to play.
HARRISON, N.J. (May 30, 2018) – French left-back Louis Nganioni has joined the Red Bulls in training this week. Nganioni, currently under contract with Ligue-1 side Olympique Lyonnais, will train with the First Team. Nganioni, a native of Melun, France, has been with Lyon since 2010 when he joined as a youth player. He has seen time on loan at FC Utrecht in the Netherlands and Stade Brest in France’s Ligue 2.
Sometimes leftur lurks but it's a quiet place. I'm a Chelsea fan first, been so since 2001/2002 but started following O'L during the titles. I studied French history in college so I've always followed Ligue 1. Really got into O'L the last 5 years starting around 2012.
It's been a few years since I posted on this forum, but I've still been following OL. I'm hoping to be a bit more active here (and on BigSoccer) in general this season.
There is, although it's been a little bit of a quiet off season, although it often is when there is a major tournament. No major news is good news in relation to holding onto key players. Fekir is the only one that still seems a real chance of departure this summer. Outside of Aulas's two mystery world cup players eluded to here not too much to speak of in terms of strengthening the side either. IMO, the most noticeable barrier between just being a a Top 3 contender (which we clearly already are) and a legitimate title contender again is a bit of strengthening/depth in central defense.
I just don't believe they will sell Ndombele this soon, although I'm not under any illusion that we'll keep him forever.
Same, but with that said, the stadium costs have me slightly worried. I've been pretty disappointed with a few of the youth departures. Mateta especially. Think he could have been really good for us. I know he's a target man, but he's good with the ball at his feet and really good in the air, similar to Giroud.
I think the club should sell Fekir. He'll be a loss, but the amount of money they'll get for him will never be higher than what it is now. If Fekir doesn't leave now, he'll leave next year, and even if he stays, Lyon will be lucky to get to the round of 16 in the Champions League. Their goal is probably to be #2 in the league. So for both the club and Fekir, better to sell and reinvest the money.
I would agree but Monaco have proven this to be false. O'L can win the league. We can do it this season with Fekir and an upgrade at CB. That's the kicker here. Neymar may leave for Madrid. The window is this season. Now beyond that, Diaz, Depay, Fekir, Aouar, Mendy, Lopes, Dubois, and N'Dombele are all gone. Getting what we can while reinvesting in the academy is key.
We've netted something like 51 Million Euros in the transfer market already without losing too much. I'm somewhat agnostic on if we really need to hold on to Fekir, at least until I see more information on possible incoming players.
Rumor of Ziyech coming in as basically a replacement for Fekir. My issue with those that have departed, or rather Mateta, Diakhaby, and Darder is that we lack real depth at those spots and this squad needs depth. It cost us last season.
It just seems to be that Fekir has already decided to leave in his head. There's no point in keeping a player like that by force. It happened with Abidal way back in the day. 68 million euros isn't chump change, and for a figure like that, I don't think anyone is worth keeping unless Aulas makes similar investments in other positions, which I'm not seeing yet. I hope otherwise, but right now OL's hottest prospects are usually their academy grads, and it's like the club has already decided that they'll have a short shelf life, if that makes sense.
I would say this makes great business sense then if we can get the rumored fees for Fekir and bring in Ziyech for 25 Million or less. I think if Ajax wants more that 30 it wouldn't be worthwhile. Of course, it's all sort of a moot point as Fekir clearly seems to have wanted the negotiations with Liverpool to restart. Ziyech is a very good player from what I have seen, not quite the same upside as Fekir, but would definitely be a solid replacement. Plus, we should net an additional 30 Million or so to seek immediate reinforcements in defense and for bringing in youth prospects.