Season Preview #8: Olympique Lyonnais
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With the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season fast-approaching, we’re running through every team in the league, giving you all you need to become a Ligue 1 expert. Every day from now until the season kicks off on August 16, we’ll preview two clubs every day, breaking down their key moves and how the season is likely to unfold for them.
Olympique Lyonnais
Founded: 1950
Stadium: Groupama Stadium
Nickname(s): Les Gones
Manager: Pierre Sage (second season)
The former academy boss took over when things seemed at their absolute nadir last season, and his installation on the bench, combined with several promising January signings, proved the difference. No team picked up more points in Ligue 1 in 2024, and while balancing European football with domestic obligations will be tricky, there are plenty of reasons for optimisim on the banks of the Rhône.
Last season: Sixth, Ligue 1
Cult hero: Alexandre Lacazette
With the departures of Kylian Mbappé and Wissam Ben Yedder, Lacazette, who returned to the club in the summer of 2022, becomes the leading active scorer in Ligue 1. He's far from making up the numbers in a young but talented side, though -- with 46 goals in the competition in his two seasons since returning to his boyhood club, the talismanic striker has been ruthless as he provides a measure of stability for his young teammates.
Key arrivals:
After a raft of January signings, much of Lyon's summer business has been converting what had been loan deals into permanent moves. Saïd Benrahama, Orel Mangala, Duje Caleta-Car and Ernest Nuamah all had their purchase options exercised, but that's not to say there weren't arrivals as well. Mangala's Nottingham Forest teammate Moussa Niakhaté, a towering Senegalese international, has joined in defence, while Georges Mikautadze, such a sensation down the back half of last season for his club and at the European Championships with Georgia, has arrived from FC Metz.
Key departures:
Defender Jake O'Brien was a revelation, particularly under Sage. The young Irishman had arrived from Crystal Palace for a snip, but proved to be a vital part of the team's resurgence -- to pretend his contributions won't be missed would be foolhardy, but in Niakhaté one feels that he has been adequately replaced.
Season Outlook:
Despite an abject first half of the season which saw the team enter the new year under threat of relegation, much more is expected from Les Gones and Sage this time around. One has to feel that a top four finish domestically represents the low end of expectations, but outside of AS Monaco, Lyon are probably best-positioned to give PSG a run for the title, given their depth and attacking talent. A return to European football could prove challenging, but this team seems smartly constructed and ready to succeed over an entire campaign.
Likely XI (4-3-3): Perri; Maitland-Niles, Niakhaté, Caleta-Car, Tagliafico; Caqueret, Matic, Tolisso (or Mangala); Nuamah (or Mikautadze), Lacazette, Benrahma
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