Orel Mangała, a Belgian midfielder, is back at Olympique Lyonnais after a loan to Everton interrupted by a serious injury to the cross ligament. He’ll be number five, a number he already had in Nottingham Forest. OL has decided to restructure its field environment, notably transferring Jordan Veretout to Qatar and Paul Akoukou elsewhere. Despite unavailability until December, Mangała is expected to stay in Lyon, although a departure is not excluded. The Lyon fans hope that this player will be back in shape, which has already shown great qualities in his past experiences.
Paulo Fonseca, OL coach, will be back in the gallery this weekend during the friendly match against the Getafe, due to a suspension for comments made in a previous match. This suspension, which deprives him of access to the edge of the field for matches in France, will last until December. However, he will be able to access the changing rooms during warm-up, half-time and the end of the game. This situation is all the more regrettable because he had regained the taste of the ground after a period of absence.
OL and Saint-Étienne will be in the same group at the Challenge Hopes this season, a tournament that promises a derby between the two clubs. The tournament, which runs from September to May, aims to integrate young players at the pace of a professional season. The games, which are played behind closed doors except in the finals, are particularly important for the development of young talent and help maintain regional rivalry. The friendly meetings in Bourgoin-Jallieu have become an annual event for the Lyon fans, offering an opportunity to test each other before the resumption of Ligue 1.