Lilian Coponat, a young player from Olympique Lyonnais, justifies his departure from the club by highlighting the lack of investment in the training centre. He believes that OL is going through a difficult period when the training centre has been abandoned for several years, leading to the early departure of young talent and a lack of communication from the club about their future. Coponat expresses his disappointment at this situation, recalling that the Lyon training centre was once considered one of the best in France, but that it is now de-credited. He attributed this decline to a lack of desire on the part of leaders to develop young players and integrate them at the professional level.

This situation is seen by some as a symptom of the general decline of Olympique Lyonnais, partly due to its current economic situation. The absence of leading players who have won world championships, such as Nicolas Tagliafico and Thiago Almada, at the start of the training, illustrates the club’s difficulty in retaining talent. Olympique Lyonnais, faced with financial constraints, is not able to compete with other clubs to keep these players. In this context, Corentin Tolisso, vice-captain and potential captain for the upcoming season, is presented as one of the few players with recent international experience.

The departure of Alexandre Lacazette and Rayan Cherki will enhance Tolisso’s role in the changing room, but its future will depend on the decision of the appeal commission of the National Management Control Directorate, which will decide on 10 July. This decision will have important consequences not only for Tolisso, but also for the entire club. Coponat, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction with his departure, believing that this was the best solution given the current situation of Olympique Lyonnais.