Comments on: Marseille Offer Samir Nasri for Hatem Ben Arfa!!!!!

By: Inara

Inara — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:38:12 +0000

Right after I read your post, I read an article saying that Inter Milan would be willing to pay 8 million for Juninho. It could be that he does want to leave, though I wonder if the club will allow that – as you said, commercially, he’s very important. Benzema aside, no other OL player commands as much respect or attention.

I can’t remember whether it was Toulalan or Bodmer – most likely it was Toulalan – who said he could imagine doing what Coupet did, which is staying at one club, Lyon, for an entire career. I’d love to believe that, but he’s already a world class player and could walk onto nearly any top side on the planet, and I worry that he’ll eventually be taken away too.

I hate that Lyon is like a foster home for exceptional talents, to be eventually adopted by financially fit (but sometimes unstable) parents.

By: Storm

Storm — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:24:57 +0000

Inara I agree that Juni adds a lot as a leader. It always suprises me when players like Govou are made captain. It takes a very special skill set to be a captain and frankly Govou doesn’t have a captains bone in his body, Juni on the other hand is a born leader – he inspires the players; he watches out for the younger ones (he’s really taken Ben Arfa under his wing); he communicates a lot on the pitch; plus he even rallies the fans when necessary (I’ll never forget how he asked the fans to cheer for the corner at this seasons Le Mans match). Commercially he’s also a great asset to the club.
Personally I’d love him to stay and also struggle to imagine OL without him, BUT there seem to be a lot of whispers at Gerland that he will be moving on. More his choice than the club’s, but I think if he does he will return in a couple of years.
Of the others yes there’s Coupet who does play a leadership role. Cris certainly could step into this role and is very commited to Lyon. Not sure about Reveillere. I’d like to think that Toulalan will step into the role more, he certainly commands enough respect but he is rather shy and quiet. In about a year from now I could see Bodmer being a mainstay leader.

By: japple

japple — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:06:30 +0000

I seriously doubt we’ll see Juninho leave this summer. I mean, I can see him playing less and less over the next season or two to make way for younger players on the squad, but unless something drastic happens, he will retire here.

my love for lyon is summed up by my love for juni. like Inara said, I couldn’t imagine a Lyon side without his presence.

By: Pride of Lyon

Pride of Lyon — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:19:40 +0000

I think Juninho should go and p@lay in Brazil for a year or two and then come back to Lyon like Anderson did.
My bet is that this summer we will lose Juninho, Kallstrom, Reveillere and 1 winger (which I don’t know).

As for Coupet I really don’t know what to think about it. Ok, he is getting old, but when you look how old Van der Sar or Kahn are, Coupet could still play high level for 2 or 3 years.

We need to keep “old” players to keep the team spirit.

By: Inara

Inara — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:23:36 +0000

I would be sad if Juninho left. It’s true that we don’t need him as a player that much anymore, but his leadership is still necessary. Having a team full of young and/or new people, no matter how talented they are, isn’t always a good idea. Our team was very unbalanced this year, partially because we sold off players who were team leaders (Wiltord, Cacapa, Abidal, Malouda). We replaced them with mostly better players, but they didn’t have the same impact in the locker rooms, hence the often troubled atmosphere.

Juninho and Coupet are the only ones brave enough to publicly criticize the performance of their own team and aren’t afraid of giving their fellow players reality checks. Seniority and experience is important on any team.

If Juninho leaves, and Coupet as well, who will that leave as a senior player? Don’t forget that we’ll also be losing Muller this summer. So all that’s left are Govou, Cris, and Reveillere (in terms of how long they’ve been at Lyon and their age). Benzema is also a forceful presence on the squad, but he’s still young. Maybe Toulalan and Squillaci will step up, but who else? Keita, Grosso, Boumsong, and Bodmer are still too new, Kallstrom will probably leave, etc.

Plus, Juninho IS Lyon. I just can’t imagine an OL squad without his angry face. In much the same way Raul is Real Madrid, Maldini is Milan, Totti is Roma, Giggs is United. Granted Juninho isn’t a one club man like the others, but he’s as good as. Lyon shouldn’t force him out, even if it’s the logical thing to do.

By: Jao

Jao — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:55:37 +0000

It’s very funny that Fred was practically going to Tottenham (from Lyon’s perspective) this past transfer window. Now we are asking how can we accommodate him.

By: Storm

Storm — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:44:24 +0000

Juni is likely to be leaving Lyon this summer, but that’s not to stop him coming back later as a coach just like Sonny. Both JMA and Lacombe have heaps of respect for him as a player and on a personal level.

By: john

john — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:47:24 +0000

Corey, I think you forgot to add Delgado- and if Perrin is still around- Benzema to the list of wingers. And what about the situation at CF? How are they going to keep the petulant child Fred happy? I was wondering if it wouldn’t be better to go to a 4-4-2 if Juninho won’t be playing regularly, to accomodate the surplus of midfeilders and the CF problem, but that would still leave several very talented players on the bench. Why don’t they go get a LB instead of wasting more money on midfeilders?

By: Corey

Corey — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:40:05 +0000

I am not sure how getting Pjanic makes sense when all the hype is about Remy coming back, Grenier being the next Kaka, and next year being Karaaboue’s year to break into the first team, with Keita, Ben Arfa and Govou still around. That is 6 wingers for two spots, and let us not forgot the under-utilized talents of Anthony Mounier. Obviously Karaaboue, Mounier and Grenier can get loans somewhere, but still, with Pjanic, that 4 right wingers in the squad! Wasteful…

By: Inara

Inara — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:23:10 +0000

Also, Lyon are serious about Pjanic. Bernard Lacombe talked about him on RTL yesterday, and today, OLTV dedicated a segment of their daily show to him. Negotiations must be better than expected if Lyon are so open about Pjanic.