Forced to sell his star scorer, OL played with fire. But a few hours before the end of the transfer window, the management has drawn its plan B.
The decision was painful, but necessary. To balance its finances, Olympique Lyonnais had to resolve for sale Georges Mikautadze in Villarreal for 30 million euros. The Georgian wanted to stay, but the club had to make a choice:
It was him or Malick Fofana. Management has decided, leaving Paulo Fonseca without a real center-forward. A gaping void who, paradoxically, did not prevent the team from making a perfect start to the season with three victories in three games, including the last against OM. But everyone knew it: to keep the distance, you had to recruit.
Rafa Mujica, the Spanish bet of the OL
The Lyon management waited for the last hours of the transfer window to finalize its “blow”. And Mikautadze's successor is called Rafa Mujica.
According to information from Market footballthe 26-year-old Spanish striker, who plays in Al-Sadd in Qatar, agreed with OL and absolutely wants to join the club. Trained at the Masia, the famous Barça training center, Mujica is a traveler's profile, which exploded late in Portugal before going into exile.
It is not a name that makes the crowds dream, for sure. But his statistics speak for him. After scoring 34 goals in two seasons in Arouca, he continued on his momentum in Qatar with 18 achievements in as many games. A scorer in full confidence, who arrives in Lyon with the desire to prove that he can win in a large European championship. A bet, yes, but a calculated bet.
Relief for Fonseca
This arrival is above all a huge relief for Paulo Fonseca. The Portuguese coach will finally be able to count on a real specialist in the post, a finisher capable of weighing on the defenses and offering a fixing point to his team. After successfully tinkering during the first days, he now has a credible option to carry out his attack.
We know the song: a successful transfer window often judges itself at the end. By selling Mikautadze at a high price and replacing it with a prolific and cheaper scorer, OL seems to have carried out a good operation, both financial and sporting. Now remains in Rafa Mujica to do what he was recruited for: score goals. And prove that Lyon was right to bet on him.
