The Club of the Year 2025 is a hot topic, and OL Lyonnais is among the five appointed alongside FC Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool and Botafogo. This recognition is the result of a remarkable 2024-2025 season, marked by the victory in the First League and a semi-final in the Champions League, despite a bitter defeat against Arsenal. This performance was seen as a validation of the club’s development strategy, focused on training young talent, an approach inspired by the Barça and Ajax models. OL continued to produce quality players, such as Bradley Barcola and Malo Gusto, although their professional integration was sometimes difficult.

The summer of OL was marked by significant departures, notably those of Alexandre Lacazette, Rayan Cherki and Lucas Perri, losses that required financial restructuring. This has led the club to rely on wise transfers and the potential of its younger generation. The arrival of new players such as Pavel Sulc, Tyler Morton, Afonso Moreirol and Ruben Kluivert is still in the evaluation phase, and the focus is on the development of internal talents such as Khalis Merahqui and Teo Barisic. This policy, encouraged by Clint Noël Mata, aims to restore a place of choice to the OL training centre, like football schools that have produced stars throughout history.

Along with the club of the year race, OL is also actively looking for a goaltender to succeed Lucas Perri. DomiNik Greif, guardian of RCD Majorca, is the preferred candidate, and a five-year agreement has been reached. However, the Spanish club, via its sports director Pablo Ortells, is inflexible and requires an allowance of five million euros fixed, plus bonuses, to give up the player. Although OL has made several offers, including the last four million euros plus a million bonuses, Majorca remains firm on its requirements. Greif’s willingness to join Lyon should facilitate the conclusion of this transfer in the coming days.