The Kid's alright - Getting the last L'OL: Tanner Tessmann at Olympic Lyonnaise

Turner could still have a shot. I'd imagine TT's world cup chances would be cooked given the competition in the midfield

 

We shall see how everything shakes out.

My point was I don't think Tessmann or Turner are "too good" or "above" spending a year in Ligue 2 with OL.

Tessmann is just a dude who was bought for a nominal fee for OL. I was happy he played as much as he ended up doing for OL in 2024/2025.

but he isn't Rayan Cherki or some hugely coveted player from OL.

If OL do go down, some players from this first team will go down and be the core of a team trying to come right back up and I think Tessmann fits into that bin more than he fits into the "too good for Ligue 2 don't make me laugh" bin.

The WC complicates its a bit. I don't think Tessmann playing with OL in Ligue 2 necessarily means he cannot make the WC squad. I think if Turner had an excellent campaign in Ligue 2 starting every game and seeing Lyon promoted he would start for the USMNT next summer.
But I can't say with any certainty what Poch will do. His squad selections are baffling to me. I'm watching second division players with the USMNT right now [Aaronson and Wright]. Tessmann has played a lot under Poch but wasn't called up to the GC. So who knows? The narrative is different if were in May of 2026 and we're talking about Turner and Tessmann back in Ligue 1 after earning promotion and both having stand out campaigns in the second division.

 

James Sands in the Bundesliga might take his spot

 

Tessmann's contract may well have been more than $2m in ligue 1, but smart clubs have relegation clauses, dropping salaries in half or less. The clauses often mean the contract is void if the player wants it to be, or that the player can move on for just about any offer.
Lyon might not have done this, as they don't see themselves in that situation. But I'd be surpised if Tessmann's agent isn't now shopping him around, assuring potential suitors that there is a bargain to be had.

 

As for should he stay or should he go, now, it might be time to run, not walk, towards the exit.
Ligue 1 is in trouble all the way around. The league, according The Guardian reporting, lost $1.2 billion this season. This was a season in which the league did really well on the field but beyond horribly at the bank.
From the Guardian piece, which was in April: "The French football federation president, Philippe Diallo, a man not prone to exaggeration, has talked of a crisis which is “not temporary, but structural”.
Blowing smoke after a financial relegation, that everything is fine, don't look behind the curtain dorothy, etc, is all well and good.
The league is not making any significant money on a TV deal. You cannot support a club that spends like this without serious TV money.
The Juve example is a bad one. They went down for match fixing, their finances were great at a time when other big clubs in Serie A were struggling but the league was strong. They were built to bounce back.
This is a giant club getting ripped for poor finances in a league that is failing financially.
They might bounce right back. But that isn't a good bet.
The smart move, if you're Lyon and this is the crisis it appears to be, is to go young and academy, and cheap and rebuild a great club with a great youth system.
Betting on a bounce back by going deep into debt, when that is the problem as it is?
The way Lyon's first team is built, they spend about twice that of other non-CL sides in Ligue 1, meaning they count on CL revenue which they have not had for several years now. They have made about $8m in the Europa league, but seeing as CL league qualification pays $20m, that isn't great.

 

Even if there is a relegation clause, nobody takes a French Conference club over Italian CL sides (Bologna & Inter) only to suffer administrative relegation without looking for an exit for himself. With the best players in the lifeboats, keeping the rest motivated for a long season of games with no pride in victory but oodles of shame in defeat is no easy task.

Tessmann's agent is guaranteed to be searching out loan berths but Lyon were already down to 22 players and they will need a strong midfield with plenty in the legs to control games. With the relegation going through, Matic is likely to move on or even retire outright.

In that scenario if Tanner gets good offers, it's not impossible to see Lyon offering him his full salary regardless to keep a functioning midfield. Neither would a promotion bonus making up most/all of the difference and amended buyout clauses, guaranteeing players the first million from the transfer fee if they aren't promoted aren't unknown

 

All true. OTOH Tanner is one of the very few players on the current Lyon roster with D2 experience, let alone a successful promotion campaign, on his resume.

If I'm running the Lyon FO, he's someone I'll be trying hard to keep. The example of Bordeaux, relegated twice for financial irregularities, will be one I'll be working very, very hard to avoid.

 

I don't know just how deep the hole they're in is. I'm a Reading FC fan from my childhood days there. The financial mess they're in and the points deductions they've been facing for the past decade are truly heart-breaking. Given the fact that for 2025/26, Lyon will have only gate revenue, and while their stadium is hardly ever sold out in Ligue 1, the guess is tickets will be much cheaper and much less sought after in Ligue 2.
Consider that in 2024, their total revenue is estiamted at 361m€, representing a 25-35m€ loss. They have a about 161m€ in annual player salary costs.
Right off, they will lose almost all of their broadcast and media rights revenue, so they're down to 270M €, max, in revenue. ticket prices will be reduced, and as noted less sought after, so that reduces revenue more. Sponorship and branding revenue will drop, and probably sharply. that means a big chunk of that about 80m euro will vanish.
But the set costs, stadium, taxation, will remain.
To be allowed back in Ligue 1, they won't simply have to win promotion, they will have to show that their finances are stable enough to support them in doing so. If they go another 35m into debbt, it won't matter if they win ligue 2 with a perfect season. If they keep even half their current playing staff, can they manage to win promotion and erase their existing debt and annual shortfall?
Given that their revenue will be, at best, about a third of what it is now, to stablize the club will mean what?
Now, I have no idea what this will mean for Tessman, but his career is short. The least of his worries will be nats callups. Careers are short, and he is entering primetime for his. French football would not have relegated Lyon if the situation was normal, or normal-ish. There must be some really deep issues, don't you think?

 

I've seen that there is an AC Milan rumor, and a Porto one. He would seem to fit, level wise, better in Portugal, but AC Milan loves a bargain these days. I do wonder if he wouldn't simply be seen as really nice, solid, cheap depth at a place like Milan. and, of course, rumors are pointless and at this time of year, almost always wrong.

 

Last summer, he was being linked with Real Betis. With Johnny on his way, there's going to be a hole to fill there. Whether he's (still?) the guy is another matter

 

Unfortunately, unlike Johnny, Tessmann doesn't hold an EU passport, so he'd take up an international spot on Betis' roster.

 

The good news is that they only have 2 non-EU in the squad now, 1 if Antony goes back to Manchester United (they’re allowed 3).

 

#OlympiqueLyonnais will stay in Ligue1. The relegation in Ligue2 has been suspended and deleted. #transfers

— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) July 9, 2025

Some good news. Lyon will stay in ligue 1

 

They will though it's not all plain sailing going forward. They're entering a type of bailout-cim-Chapter 11 to stabilize its finances by putting its wage and transfer spending under monitoring to trade their way out of debt. This also clears the way for them to enter the EL next season.

Keen eyes have noticed that the successful appeal has coincided with Textor's resignation from all leadership roles last week and the appointment of a new CEO and Michele Kang, owner of the Washington Spirit and OL Feminin becoming club president. It's as if having someone who knows how football works in charge makes a difference. Who'd have thunk it?

Long-term this should be good for Tanner, as the guys on high salaries will have to be moved on, creating room for him and incentives to sell at a good price rather than hold on for funny money.