Another Striker is Nice, But…

By: Inara | July 29th, 2009

Lyon are continuing their spending spree by shelling out €13m for St. Etienne’s Bafetimbi Gomis (plus another €2m in incentives). His cool name and awesome hair will be further augmenting Lyon’s ever expanding strikeforce. I’ll have a post featuring relevant information and stats about him once he has his press conference, but for now, let’s talk about how Lyon’s mercato is going.

Last week I put up a post questioning Lyon’s sanity, and I’d like to think I am somewhat justified for my stance. Gomis is a decent player and well able to support Lisandro Lopez as a second attacker. He had a bad 2008 campaign (then again, which French player didn’t?), and he was under the radar for most of last season (St. Etienne were struggling with relegation), but he did brilliantly the season before, and his potential is widely acknowledged.

Bafetimbi’s awkward hello.

That being said, his price is a little bit steep, don’t you think? Lyon didn’t even try to haggle this time. I bet ASSE’s president, Bernard Caiazzo, is kicking himself for not asking for more.

But I’m getting off track here. Honestly, I’m not that alarmed at seeing Lyon spend left and right. I’m just wondering if the quality of the players matches the amount paid for them.

Lisandro Lopez – €24m + €4m in incentives
Michel Bastos – €18m + at least €2m incentives
Aly Cissokho – €15m + 20% of future transfer profits
Bafetimbi Gomis – €13m + €2m in incentives

I don’t need a calculator to tell you that Aulas has spent what is roughly the equivalent of the GDP of a third world country on only FOUR players. That’s €70m euros. Marseille on the other hand of purchased twice as many players for less than half that amount, and I don’t think there is that much of a difference between the two squads at the moment.

In fact, I think Marseille have a better defense. Our CBs are not that good. It is. I love my team to death, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen any evidence of “rock solid defending.” Cris can’t decide if he wants to stay or go, and I don’t trust him to regain his form from two seasons ago. I don’t care what Claude Puel says, Mathieu Bodmer is an attacking midfielder. Referring to John Mensah as the Glass Ghanaian is more of an unalienable truth than it is as a humorous nickname. Jean-Alain Boumsong, who is more suited to be a backup CB at a club of Lyon’s stature, is the most reliable defender at the moment.

Just think about that for a moment. Boumsong. Reliable. Those are the depths Lyon have sunk to.

What I don’t understand is why Lyon aren’t looking at any CBs. I haven’t even any rumors linking them to one. That’s all the more puzzling with Puel visibly wanting to push Mensah out of the club (after making us sign him last season for €8m, the bastard) and Cris seemingly unhappy. On the other hand, Marseille signed Souleymane Diawara and Bordeaux signed Mickael Ciani for peanuts.

Dammit, I want a defender! Our goalkeeper is awesome. Our fullbacks are awesome. Our midfielders are awesome. Our attackers are awesome. But I don’t think Lyon will make it out of Champions League qualifying with the central defense they have. Because as nice as it is to have a deadly attack (and according to the press, Lyon will be adding another player or two to their attacking arsenal), it’s pointless if Lyon concede just as many goals as they score.

Come on, Puel. Just one measly CB. You can even go crazy and spend less than €10m on him (or more, I’m not picky). Pretty please?

Some Related Lyon Posts:

Category: Claude Puel, Player News and Rumors, Transfers

« Peace Cup: Lyon vs. Porto | Home | OMG THE SEASON IS STARTING aka Le Mans vs. Lyon »

black crows

There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.
will

watch?v=hzHNsiN2Mi4 (enter that after the slash at youtube)

real madrid were in town tonight... i didn't go because 1) tickets were bonkers expensive
2) when they went on sale benzema hadn't been dealt yet

but anyway, our friend karim got a goal and two assists in real's 5-1 demolition of toronto fc. in that youtube video at 1:39 he links up beautifully with Ronaldo, and at 2:40 he scores the kind of goal we've all seen before (...before 2008)

watching this performance with Real, it is truly clear how unfortunate it was that lyon couldn't play with a more forward approach to support benzema's skill and creativity last season... too often he was alone in attack at lyon and thus less productive (i.e. take a look, see nobody to pass to, and just shoot). he could be a legitimate contender for golden boot with madrid. bonne chance, karim.
Jao

Interesting developments between the LFP and our new shirt sponsor.

Also, finally got to see Jeremy Pied play. Looked pretty good for a first impression, despite Metz completely sucking.
Theo Walcott 14

John,Dont worry,you are of course right and I am not even sure if MC is better then Bendtner or Vela.I think he is on their level.Your friend probably doesnt follow Arsenal,LOL.
Jao

Sure Anderlecht are a good team. They wouldn't be in this position in the CL if they weren't good. Sure they have some players of value (Boussoufa, Biglia, Van Damme, De Sutter, and Frutos), however, this is the second best result we could have gotten and we are a better team. As long as we imposed our physical mentality on them, we can get a positive result (1-0 or 2-0) at home, then go 0-0 in Belgium. These opening two league matches will be very important, as well as interesting because the players certainly did not gel together in the preseason.
John

Let's hope Mbark Boussoufa isn't too pissed-off about being snubbed by OL and lights-us-up out of spite.
John

Theo: I was having a discussion with a friend, and I said that Chamack would be #3- #2 would be difficult- and he disagreed. I knew Eduardo when healthy would challenge for the 2nd spot; I don't know that much about Bentdner. And I was thinking pretty much along the same lines as you, but I couldn't be 100% sure since I barely watched Arsenal last year. I also had doubt's the transfer would get done bec Chamack's contract is up in Dec so it would be smart of Wenger to wait and get him for free, but with MC screaming for a transfer, Arsenal wanting to secure a back-up ST and not quable over peanuts, and Bordeaux wanting to get something for nothing before MC walks-out on a Bosman and not hang-on to a disgruntled player, I'm sure it will get done.
Sam

phew... lets hope we don't stuff it up
Theo Walcott 14

Dont be so optimistic,Anderlecht is not so bad,they have some good players and we should not underrate them.Of course,when you see that we could play against Atletico or Fiorentino this is great.But it will be a very tough match.We are in a very bad form with our pre season and lost matches against opponents that are easier to beat then Anderlecht.But all in all we should be satisfied with this drew. :)
Aleksander

Yes!! for once we have been lucky
Michael

Anderlecht! This is great
Smile

:)
Jao

So nervous..........LMAO and we got Anderlecht. GREAT!!!
Smile

I just hope we don't get Atletico, all others seem fine to me. Preferably Anderlecht.
Flash

Bassong is a Tottenham player and I thought we could sign him. :(
Theo Walcott 14

Johnny;I am not sure.Yesterday there were reports that AW has terminated his interest in Chamakh and today there are reports that AW increased his offer from 6mil to 7.5mil.Also,I dont think that he has a chance to play in the first XI when RVP and Eduardo are fit,as I think that Arshavin will play in the MF.Chamakh would probably be a back up.But Bordeaux is asking too much for a player in his last contract year.They said if Bafe is worth 15mil then Chamakh is also at least worth the same.But I thin that 7.5mil GBP is OK.Why do you ask?
Aleksander

hehe:P Good to hear the lyon offside is one of the most active
John

Theo: What do you think of this Chamack to Arsenal deal? How do you think he will fit-in. Will he see first team action, or will we see a 4-4-2 with Van P and Arshevin upfront?
Pjanic

Keita scored for Galata. WTF!!! Didn't know he ca do that
Theo Walcott 14

John,I fully agree with you.I dont understand why we paid 15mil for Ederson,19mil for Aly,18mil for Bastos, etc.But for the defense,what do you think if someone of Seguin or Ndiaye play in the first team and get some playing time?
Theo Walcott 14

John,every single visiter is important,so dont forget Aleks,Flash,Lefutur,Jao,Smile...
But you are probably right that we are the most responsible,LOL. ;)
I hope it will be even more next month.
John

Nikola: What I find disturbing is that we used to buy good players- unheard of talent- for peanuts and watch them explode. Now we pay massive amounts of cash for players who are more established and slightly better- sometimes not- only to have a mediocre squad. We used to buy players cheap, sell them for massive gains, and replace them young, cheap talent. It's either inflation or Lyon's strategy is off. It's alarming what we are shelling-out for players that bigger clubs would pay significantly less for. Don't get me wrong, I love Ederson, Makoun, LiLo, Bastos and Aly. They are colossal talents, but that's 80-90mill on those five alone. I guess that's either part of buying from competitors, or that the bigger clubs' names or adventures abroad are more enticing to players than money. OL needs to get back to scouting to offset some of these massive incoming transfer fees, and fill some of the holes we have in our squad, with cheaper, efficient alternatives. I don't know why they haven't gone after some Brazilian or cheap established defenders to augment, the def- alghouth I would bring-in a starter to play alongside Boumsong.
John

Nikola: I think you, me, Theo, and Ronan are responsible for the massive amount of hits! LOL.
Theo Walcott 14

Also Sam,you made a mistake Sheriff Tiraspol is not from Macedonia,he is from Moldova.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F...
Theo Walcott 14

Platini is so stupid,this new CL qualification is shit,there were be matches Sheriff v. Maccabi or RB Salzburg v. Copenhagen and Lyon v. Atletico or Arsenal v. Fiorentina.This is shit.It will be very hard against Atletico or Fiorentina especially with our pre season form.
Sam

Seeded:

Olympiakos (Greece)

FC Copenhagen (Denmark)

Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)

Maccabi Haifa (Israel)

FC Zurich (Switzerland)

Non-Seeded:

Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)

APOEL (Cyprus)

Ventspils (Latvia)

Debrecen (Hungary)

Sheriff (Macedonia)

---------------------------
Seeded:

Arsenal (England)

Lyon (France)

Sporting CP (Portugal)

Panathinaikos (Greece)

Stuttgart (Germany)

Non-Seeded:

Fiorentina (Italy)

Atletico Madrid (Spain)

Celtic (Scotland)

Anderlecht (Belgium)

Timisoara (Romania)

Gotta say that this is serious bullshit. Why are all the good teams piled into the same segment of the draw, and moreover why are so many strong sides non-seeded?
lefutur

Nikola, You forgot Kallstrom in the current squad.

To be honest I don't think the squad is weaker on paper either, with Lopez definately beating out Fred up front and Boumsong not significantly weaker than Squillaci.

What I do think has made a difference last season was the tactics. Hopefully Puel has learned from his mistakes and will less defensive, although I do wish that Lyon had more depth in central defense considering the history of injuries at that position.
Theo Walcott 14

No,No Nikola,thats probably because I’m refreshing this page about 200 TIMES a day,LOL.:D

Also,for your question Nikola,I dont see a big difference in the two teams about the strength,as you said before,we are weaker in some areas and stronger in the others.All in all,an very interesting comparison.
Good comment Nikola.
Ronan

some one like tamas or douglas franco
Ronan

I think the CB situation makes me feel ill-we dont have one good centre back. Would it be so hard to invest 6mill on a new one and be done with the recruitment
Nikola

I remember the time when Lyon had Fred, Wiltord, Carew and Benzema in attack, Cris, Squillaci, Cacapa and Muller as centre-backs and Juninho, Toulalan, Kalstrom, Tiago and Alou Diarra as central midfielders. When you compare that level of depth to the one we have now, it is evident that Lyon has downgraded heavily in recent years. And let's look at the line-ups:

Coupet
Clerc - Cris - Squillaci - Abidal
Tiago - Toulalan - Juninho
Govou - Fred - Malouda

Bench: Vercoutre, Cacapa, Revelliere, Diarra, Kalstrom, Wiltord, Carew, Benzema
Reserves: Hartock, Muller, Berthod, Ben Arfa, Remy

And today:

Lloris
Clerc - Cris - Boumsong - Cissokho
Govou - Makoun - Toulalan - Bastos
Gomis - Lopez

Bench: Vercoutre, Grosso, Reveillere, Anderson, Bodmer, Ederson, Delgado, Tafer
Reserves: Hartock, Gassama, Pjanić, Mounier, Kolo, Pied

This comparison looks interesting. If we sell Mensah and keep Grosso, Anderson and Mounier (as in these line-ups), we both lose and gain strenght in certain areas of the pitch when compared with this 2006/2007 squad. We would have a similar goalkeeping quality, with Lloris possibly slightly better than Coupet, an improved RB situation, a higher quality LB pair and a horrible downgrade in terms of CB reliability. We would also have somewhat weakar CM contigent, a definetely weakened attack in both quantity and quality, but definetely a much-improved winger situation. So, it looks like that we lost in centre-back and striker departments, while gaining in the wings and side-back positions.

It definitely looks interesting, but does this comparison actaully have any sense in understanding the way Lyon is going? What do you think?
Jao

Champs. League draw tomorrow. Teams we are likely to face:

Fiorentina
Atletico
Celtic
Anderliecht
FC Timicoara
Nikola

@John: That's probably because I'm refreshing this page about 100 times a day... :)
John

I think if we play a 4-4-2 with LiLo and Gomis, then Tafer might def get alot of time, but otherwise, forget it.
And I don't think anyone knew Mensah wanted to leave when Paillot left, but never fear, Cleber Anderson/Anderson Cleber is here.
John

I was just looking at the blog stats for last month and we have more pageviews and visits than Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, plus we're pretty close to Man U; cool.
Theo Walcott 14

We will probably play next season a 4-4-2 with Gomis and Licha up front and if someone of them gets hurt we will change it into a 4-5-1/4-3-3.
Nikola

I hope that this means that we are actually going to sign an another striker. But knowing Lyon's philosophy in recent times, we'll probably use Ederson, Delgado or Govou as strikers instead of buying a real 3rd striker. About Tafer, I doubt he'll get a lot of playing time this year, Puel will probably prefer one of the mentioned players instead of him as a replacement for Licha and Gomis.
And if we sell Mensah, why the hell did we sell Paillot to Grenoble? Having only Cris, Boumsong and Bodmer for the CB role looks like a nightmare to me, really.
John

I think we should have kept Piq and loaned Tafer out this year. I just don't think he's ready to step in if LiLo and Bafi get hurt; it will be Ederson or Delgado. I wish he would have been loaned this season. I don't know why we don't send some of our better youth players out on loan; Mounier should've gone out last year, if not, definately this year.
The thing that worries me is Mensah leaving, and not having recruited another CB. Now instead of Mensah or Bodmer as our fourth option, we have Cleber! Hopefully this situation cuases just enough stress- not so much as to lose games for us- but just enough to worry Puel, that he'll bring-in Rami at the winter window.
Theo Walcott 14

http://goal.com/en/news/9/engl...
Good move by Aulas.This means that Tafer is or 3rd ST.
lefutur

http://i.sofoot.com/IMG/img-go...
lefutur

Flash:

Did you see what happened at the end of the Deportivo game? Some rowdy marseille fans started Govou and he rushed into the stands to try to fight them.
Smile

Can anyone tell me what do performance related bonuses in Benzema's contract mean?

What does he have to do, so that Lyon gets that extra 6m?
Flash

Thanks lefutur, why do you think that Govou doesnt have character.He deserved to be the captain even if I also think that it should be Toulalan
lefutur

lisandro's goal

http://www.olympique-et-lyonna...
lefutur

I think Toulalan will be named captain before the end of the season. Govou just doesnt have the character.
RougeBleu

Since you can't post youtube links on here. Just search lyon deportivo and go to the most recent uploads.
RougeBleu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
John

Toulalan was outstanding both offensively and defensively. Makoun looked good in the second half, pivoting in midfield and spraying the ball around. I think Bastos did good: he was given headaches by their RB in the first half, but broke loose in the second half, and he was centimeters away from scoring with that cracking shot that nearly broke the woodwork. He was on like a regular season game.
The problem in the first half, to me, seemed like our midfield couldn't penetrate the def and therefore weren't servicing the strikers. I was hoping that kallstrom or ederson would come in earlier, but Toul and Mak got the hang of it in the second half. And I think we need either Eder or Kim- paired with one of the DMs- in a 4-4-2 to feed the strikers, if the Toul-Mak pairing can't do it consistently.
Flash

Where can I see the goals?
kubi

Lyon looked superb today with their passing, especially the second half.. completely dominated. Its a shame they didnt win though, just like Besiktas game. I liked the 4-4-2 and i dont know who mvp was but i hope it was Toulalan because he was sooo good (like usual) except he had a couple shots and headers.. plus on a few occasions he did neat footwork to get by 3-4 opposing players. he should be captain!!!
Jao

I think he's referring to when Le Guen named an inexperienced 17 year old in Mamadou Sakho captain for two matches during his debut season.

Anyway, watching the OLTV replay. Solid so far. Pitch looks really weird. DOn't know if its the camera angle or what.
Aleksander

what did Le guen do then? did he give it to Tafer? lol
John

What a pair of captains: One is mouthing-off about how he can't wait try his luck with another club, and the other is practicing Mixed Martial Arts in the stands with fans. I think Puel should do a "Le Guen," and give the armband to Tafer.
Aleksander

So, did Lisandro, and Gomis do well today? Heard they scored the goals. Did the team actually pass the ball the ball alittle?
Stanley

from what i saw i think govou was in the stands and if anyone watched the OLTV broadcast you could hear the crowd saying GOVOU!!! and at first i was like wtf but i guess it was more serious cause he ended up in the stands
lefutur

the stopped the game early. some marseille supporters were yelling insults from the stands and from what i understood the commentators saying Govou got all riled up. then a fight broke out in the stands and it got completely out of control.

then they stopped the game.

if its true about Govou losing his shit I think he should be demoted as captain. who does he think he is....beckham?
Theo Walcott 14

What happened lefutur,I didnt watched?
John

Don't think anyone had a bad game. Lloris and Cris made those first boneheaded mistakes; Govou was flat; Gomis looked tired; Cissokho couldn't get the ball in the box; Bastos was shut-down early on and couldn't get to ball over the wall on freekicks, but overall it was a good match. Stupid defensive mistakes did us in.
lefutur

what the hell??
lefutur

chaos in the stands!
lefutur

f^&&^&!!!
Smile

Is this the last preseason match for Lyon?
John

Kallstrom and Ederson are redhot with the freekicks.
lefutur

almost for ederson
John

The first goal was a penalty: Lloris took-down the striker after Cris let him by.
John

That Lisandro goal was worth 24mill!!!
David

What a strike by Lopez!
lefutur

2-1 for lyon.

thats more like it :)
Theo Walcott 14

LLLLLLLIIIIIIIISSSSAAAAAANNNNNDDDDDRRRRRRROOOOOOO!!!
GGGGGOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!
lefutur

Lisandro!!!!!!!!!!!!

rocket!!!
Theo Walcott 14

Ederson in;Govou out
Kim in;Bastos out-We need another goal Kim :D
lefutur

kallstrom and ederson on
Theo Walcott 14

Pjanic in;Gomis out
David

Wow and a good shot from Bastos...so close
David

Nice flick from Toulalan
lefutur

gomis!!!!
lefutur

1-0 for deportivo. didnt see the goal either but was from a penalty. commentaqtors saying it was offsides.

regardless, lyon are struggling for confidence. i hope puel can turn things around...
David

http://www.iraqgoals.net/game1... if anyone's interested

Also, I missed the first goal, what happened?
John

Cris!
Smile

At 18:30
John

What time is the match today?
Theo Walcott 14

http://www.olweb.fr/fr/Pros/30...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA;The picture is so funny.
Theo Walcott 14

SmIlE;You are not mistaking.
http://www.tfc.info/news/node/...
Smile

Toulouse beat them 2:0 two days ago if I am not mistaken...
kubi

Deportivo la Corogne a 18h30
Flash

Agains who are we playing tomorrow?
Flash

Mensah,Piquonne,Grosso and Mounier to leave-Aulas
kubi

looks like tomorrow Puel will be using a 4-4-2 with gomis/licha up front. which i think is great because maybe we can finally have a great game when it comes to attacking, which we havent really had yet.

-------Lloris
Rev-Bodmer-Cris-Cissokho
Govou-Toule-Makoun-Bastos
-----Gomis-Lisandro
lefutur

just got a chance to watch the sevilla friendly. besides the ridiculous officiating that resulted in the 2 red cards, I have to say that the game showed that Lyon are starting to get their bearings. They clearly dominated possession up until the first red card in the second half and when Lisandro gets time to adjust I see the offense starting to create some nice stuff.

Cris looked very solid, Grosso was really good also. Bastos looked dangerous and Kallstom continues to impress. I think Ederson still hasnt found his best form yet but it shoudn't be long I think.
John

Does anyone know if you can get the Sevilla match on a torrent?
kubi

bafe had a hat-trick against grenoble a week ago so maybe hes on a good run now
Theo Walcott 14

To bad it will not be any new signings but even if it would i think Puel would buy a new ST and not a CB.It is depressing that we played a pre season just like Milan played(BAD).Also,Ush is right,we cant just count on our new signings,clubs like Madrid and esspecially ManCity(who are buying with no plan and buy just the available stars on the market) will need a long time that all of them play they best.If we dont buy a CB than we should give a chance Seguin/N'Diaye,we have nothing to lose and I am sure that they will help us a lot.

P.S. Ronan,I wouldnt call Piquionne a recognised striker. :D
Ush

Wasn't just that were were beat so often, but were out played totally by Porto, who with all due respect won't be getting near the CL final next year.
Ronan

Pre season form is worrying as well-not very good was it.
Ronan

In better news it looks like Marseille are selling Brandao-hahaha what idiots Brandao is a beat of a striker-how stupid from Deschamps
Ronan

I mean for me it comes down to common sense-we had a torrid time at cb for the whole season last year-so what do you do-you offload a CB-yer like that will help,I mean for proffesional people such as Lacombe and Puel its just ridiculous on there part. I can tell you now if we sell Mensah and dont bring somebody in-are defence is going to be sooooooo shit,and it will ultimately destroy are season-good CBs are arguably the most important people on the field,so to have crap everything at CB is a big concern
Ronan

talk of us selling Mensah and Piquionne-i would be glad if they left- but for puels statements about no more signings. If Piq leaves that leaves us with 2 recognised strikers,licka and gomis-and thats not enough. But worst of all mensah not being replaced-as it stands we are weak in depth and quality at CB,so if Mensah leaves we are absolutely screwed if he isnt replaced:really and trully are CB area would be pissed on and laughed at for the whole season.Mensah and Piquionne leaving and not being replaced=big,big trouble,a I mean I know they did little but they were there as cover,having just Cris and Boumsong as CBs is just ludacrus-I mean its a fact that there all rubbish anyway but if two out of the three are injured/suspended then what-?? What a load of bollocks puel trusting youth team CBs-has a youth team CB ever featured in a competetive game under Puel-No. Really if we dont replace Piq and Mensah,the recruitment campaign would have been a disastor.
lefutur

im starting to have my doubts about puel. i think maybe aulas made a mistake keeping him on after last season.
Ush

------------Lloris-----------
Clerc--Cris/Mensah--Boumsong--Grosso/Cissokho
--------Toul------Makoun-------
Govou-------Ederson--------Bastos
-----------Lopez----------------

My favoured formation.
Ush

Problems I see:

1.Not enough goal scorers-Piquinne is poor and lisandro only played the last friendly. Hopefully Gomis will add something but I worry about his work rate and hit & miss form.

2.CBs are just poor-Bodmer is bad positionally. Cris is slow and often poor marking wise. Mensah when he's not injured doesn't look particularly good either and the real key is that none of them have a partnership. Boumsong looks the most solid, for over a year now.

3.Lots of new players-Look at madrid, it will take quite a while for these players to gel as they say. Not convinced Puel has decided on a formation or best 11 yet.

4.Midfield creativity-Otherwise known as playing the killer ball. Not gonna come from Toulalan or Makoun. Ederson is the great hope but a)hasnt played that position much and b)not much indication yet that he's capable! Pranjic looks a little weak for my liking.

Being honest, were a million miles away from CL glory. I hope we get out of the groups. Ligue 1 will be very tough aswell. Payed huge money for some relatively average players.