L’OL’s Situation Has Turned Around: No Longer a Cause for Concern!

In football, things move quickly, and Olympique Lyonnais is well aware of this. As a historic club in French football, Lyon came dangerously close to disaster this summer. Due to poor financial management since John Textor took charge, the club was relegated to Ligue 2 by the DNCG, a shocking turn in French football. It was only through the intervention of Michele Kang and significant financial support that the club managed to appeal and convince the financial watchdog to safeguard its future.

With Textor out of the picture, Lyon has focused on a healthy restructuring and drastically reduced its wage bill by curbing excessive spending on player salaries. While the club couldn’t perform miracles and had to let go of several key players without adequately replacing them, coach Paulo Fonseca has managed to keep the team competitive. Currently, Lyon sits in 7th place (with one game in hand) despite a challenging period since October.

Lyon is on the Up

Although supporters hope for stronger additions to the squad, Lyon has made considerable progress from a difficult position. There seems to be a brighter future ahead. As reported recently, the club’s financial situation is improving. For the winter transfer window, Lyon is expected to aim for at least two new signings to bolster the weakened attack and defense, especially with the upcoming departures of Niakhaté and Mata to the Africa Cup of Nations. There will likely be some departures, but not among regular starters; only players with limited game time will be let go.

Financially, Lyon is no longer in dire straits. In fact, their wage bill has been cut by 50%, and the club has shored up its finances thanks to increased revenues from ticket sales, sponsorships—including a deal with the Republic of Congo—and the addition of new economic partners. Since the season began, Michele Kang has hosted several dinners with prominent business leaders from the Lyon area to establish solid partnerships. While the upcoming review by the DNCG in early December will be important, Lyon appears more confident now, with the goal of achieving a complete turnaround by the 2028-2029 season.