OL separates from a major element of its workforce … and this departure will weigh heavily in the club's ambitions this summer.
Summer is rough on the side of Décines. Barely the transfer window launched than Olympique Lyonnais must already resolve to lose one of its best players. A major figure in the Lyon renewal leaves, and with him, hopes of short -term stability.
This is Thiago Almada. Recruited on loan by John Textor via the Botafogo network, the Argentinian will not make old bone in Ligue 1.. The Atlético de Madrid has reached an agreement with OL for a transfer of 40 million euros. The player will fly away for the Spanish capital in order to pass his medical examination and sign his contract. An expected outcome, even if it remains painful for an already weakened club.
OL continues to sell its executives
After Rayan Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette, OL loses a new precious piece. Almada's departure is part of a strategy dictated by the economic emergency. Clected by the DNCG, the Lyon management must both lighten the wage bill and quickly generate liquidity. The departure of such a coveted player was therefore almost inevitable, and another could follow:
That of Corentin Tolisso, in the viewfinder of Manchester United.
For supporters, this succession of departures begins to look like a bleeding. And the 2025-2026 workforce of OL may well no longer have much to do with that of the past season. However, the important thing is elsewhere: Lyon will remain in Ligue 1, thus avoiding an administrative relegation so much feared. This maintenance has a price, and it goes through sacrifices.
A team under reconstruction
Almada was one of the few to vibrate the Groupama Stadium in recent months. His departure signs the end of an exciting parenthesis, but he also opens a new chapter. For OL, it is time to rebuild. It remains to be seen with what means, and with what ambitions.
