Olympique Lyonnais will travel to Lille on Sunday 28 September for a game that is important in its context, although this is not the closing game of the 6th day of the championship. The start of the meeting, which will take place at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium, is scheduled to take place at 5:15 p.m. and will be broadcast on BeinSports. This move marks a key moment for the club, especially due to the departure of Georges Mikautadze, a decision perceived as necessary to meet the financial constraints of the team. The player, aware of the situation, preferred the club’s interests, although his departure was difficult to accept for the entire team and management.

OL’s summer mercato was marked by a significant restructuring of the payroll, with the sale of several players including Alexandre Lacazette, Rayan Cherki and Georges Mikautadze. This operation, estimated at more than half the payroll, was imperative to clean up the club’s finances and avoid problems with the National Management Control Directorate (DNCG). According to Matthieu Louis-Jean, Technical Director of OL, the strategy adopted during this mercato required difficult choices, in particular to free up salary space in order to be able to recruit. Michèle Kang’s arrival as President was crucial, bringing significant financial resources and new confidence to the recruitment cell, while maintaining a distance in technical decisions.

Although the Mercato has officially closed its doors, OL retains the opportunity to recruit French players and free players, and could also see one or two players go to still open markets, such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The TV program of the 6th day of Ligue 1, unveiled by the LFP, will take place on Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September. OL, having faced significant financial difficulties, seems to have put in place a strategy of strengthening and stability for the future, with the hope of not reliving past experiences, such as its recent move to Ligue 2.