Olympique Lyonnais is going through a period of reconstruction after avoiding relegation to Ligue 2 thanks to a favourable decision by the Federal Appeal Commission. This situation, which resulted from several years of financial difficulties, forced the club to restructure its staff significantly. The team lost several key players, including Captain Alexandre Lacazette, Rayaan Cherki, Nicolas Tagliafico, Lucas Perrine, Thiago Almada, Jordan Veretout and potentially Malick Fofana. This “learned” is due to a financial discipline policy imposed by the DNCG, limiting expenses and forcing the club to sell players to generate revenues.

Mercato has therefore become a priority for OL, but it takes place in a context of budgetary constraints. The club favours bets on young talent or experienced players at reasonable prices, as evidenced by the arrivals of Justin Kluivert and Afonso Moreira. This approach, encouraged by the new coach Paulo Fonseca, aims to build a long-term project and regain more humilous values, reminding iconic players of the past. The integration of young players from the academy is also an important development axis.

This transition is accompanied by a necessary patience on the part of the supporters, because the construction site is immense. OL has already achieved a substantial sales turnover, becoming the French club that sold the most during this summer mercato window, in front of RC Lens and Nice. The goal is to build a competitive team with limited resources, building on the potential of young people and the experience of older players. The ambition for the 2025-2026 season will be assessed as the first months of competition begin.