Tiago to Juventus? Coupet to Tottenham? Yeah right.

By: Inara | April 25th, 2007

The most annoying thing about being a Lyon fan is that every spring, just about all of Lyon’s players are linked with moves away. And since there is often a grain of truth among all the transfer lies, it’s stressful because you know that a few people will be leaving but not who.

Here is today’s rundown of rumors.

Tiago to Juventus/AC Milan: From day 1, we all knew that Tiago wasn’t at Lyon to stay. He didn’t really want to come to France in the first place but needed playing time, which he wasn’t getting at Chelsea. His performance for Lyon got him into Portugal’s World Cup squad, and this year, he’s become a starter. End result: he no longer needs Lyon.

I used to get offended at that kind of attitude, but he’s a professional. I’ve definitely used jobs as a stepping stone for another one, so I can’t blame footballers for doing the same thing.

I will miss Tiago if he leaves. He’s underrated, and he brings a lot of creativity to Lyon’s midfield. However, there is no point in keeping a player who doesn’t want to stay. But the weird thing is, I’m not quite sure exactly what he’s saying. Last week, he said that nothing is decided, then two days ago, he said that Lyon should stick together and he wants to stay for one more year, and then last night, my inbox was flooded by google news alerts with “Tiago wants to depart RIGHT NOW” headlines.

There hasn’t been any mention that clubs have asked about Tiago (Juve did sent a scout to watch him), but Tiago wouldn’t have brought up Milan and Juventus specifically unless there has been some contact. It just isn’t his style.

However, Lyon will fight to keep Tiago because they are counting on him in their future plans. Furthermore, it’s a year before Euro 2008, and Tiago’s starting spot on the NT isn’t set in stone. If he leaves for a club like Juve or Milan, he may get benched again and lose that NT slot. Portugal has tons of talented midfielders, and Scolari isn’t shy about leaving people out.

I adore Tiago, but I have my doubts as to whether he would start at a “big” club, especially since they already have so many talented players. And there is also the matter of his transfer fee. Lyon purchased him for about ten million Euros. So it doesn’t make sense for them to sell him for the same amount, but I don’t see clubs spending more than 10-12 million on him.

If Tiago is smart, he won’t leave until after Euro 2008.

Coupet to Tottenham: This made me laugh. No offense to the Spurs, but why in the world would Coupet want to go to a midtable club? Granted, it’s in the EPL, and he’s recently said that he wouldn’t mind playing in England, but that would mean giving up Champions League football. And given the fact that most EPL clubs have piss poor defenses, he’ll be conceding a lot more goals too. He won’t have the likes of Cris and Squillaci protecting him.

Let’s also not forget that he’s France’s Number 1. No way the first choice goalkeeper of one of the best national teams in the world would downgrade to a club that has no chance of winning a domestic title, no matter how respectable they are. Especially when Coupet just managed to dislodge Fabien Bathez. Moving to Spurs would put Coupet’s spot at risk.

I do understand why he wants assurances from Lyon – unlike in other countries, France doesn’t trust older goalkeepers (it makes sense – France is the land of keepers, and they have a lot of talented young ones). While Lehman, Van der Sar, and Dida are still going at it, Coupet is considered ancient in France for being 34.

But I’m pretty sure that Coupet will end his career at Lyon. I think he’s just hinting at all this to force Aulas to give him a better contact. And anyway, remember when Coupet said he wouldn’t mind coming to the MLS? So yeah, don’t take what he says too seriously.

Kim Kallstrom to [insert club here]: Kallstrom has quite a few admirers, and this isn’t the first time he’s been linked to the EPL this year. But if he isn’t a starter at Lyon, he won’t be a starter at any of the bigger clubs. In a smaller club, certainly. But I don’t think Kallstrom will go to a smaller club because despite falling behind Tiago and Juninho in the pecking order, he gets a considerable amount of playing time when one of them are out/subbed. And if Tiago does leave, Kallstrom will be able to take his place.

Normally, Scandinavians have a special affinity for the EPL, and I’m sure Kallstrom does too. But while he has a lot of GREAT qualities (an excellent tackler, an eye for the pass, great crosses, good with fks, tactically aware, strong), he doesn’t have a lot of pace, so he may not do well in the EPL. And he’s already rejected a possible move to Tottenham.

Plus, he said he enjoys playing in the CL and winning titles. So sorry, [EPL clubs], no Kimmy for you.

The only one of his suitors that has a genuine chance of landing him is Sevilla. Normally pushed into UEFA Cup competition by Spain’s Big Three, this year they not only have a great chance of making the CL but of winning the Spanish league. I don’t know much about Sevilla’s midfield situation, so I can’t comment on whether Kallstrom would fit in. But a move from Lyon to Sevilla is going laterally, not up, because Sevilla isn’t any bigger than Lyon. The only advantage they have is they are in La Liga.

And…he’d be expensive. Lyon bought him for 8 million Euros but won’t part with him for less than 14.

Claudio Cacapa, Anthony Reveillere, and Sylvain Wiltord to Paris St. Germain:

These rumors would not even exist three months ago, when everyone was sure that PSG would be relegated after their poor performances in the first half of the season. But now that Paul Le Guen (who led Lyon to three consecutive titles) is managing them, things are looking up for the capital club, and they are close to safety.

If PSG does remain in Ligue 1 next year, Le Guen will try to raid his former club for players because he knows their quality and has managed them before.

Here’s the troubling thing: Le Guen may very well end up getting some of Lyon’s fringe players. He’s a guy that players actually like, and they want to play for him. When Le Guen went to Rangers, Lyon midfielder Jeremy Clement went with him, despite the fact that Houllier wanted him to stay. And both Sidney Govou and Gregory Coupet were also tempted. If Le Guen hadn’t gone to the SPL but to Spain, you can bet that they would have.

Claudio Cacapa hasn’t said where he wants to go after this summer. Fiorentina is interested in his services, and he supposedly made a verbal agreement with them. He also said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay in France, which makes sense. He’s spent six years at Lyon, so it’s hard to simply switch sides and play for another French club. But Le Guen was the man who made him captain, so maybe Cacapa would be tempted.

Sylvain Wiltord was born in Paris, and he’s admitted to having an emotional attachment to PSG and has always wanted to play for them). Now that he’s 32 years old, he knows he won’t have a starting spot at Lyon next year, especially since Sidney Govou has committed to Lyon for life and Aulas is searching for another winger.

And, given the fact that he doesn’t like Houllier that much, he might decide to play for his old manager.

PSG’s least likely target is Anthony Reveillere. Despite his gaffe against Mancini during the Roma match, Reveillere is a good player and might not consider a move to PSG as a good career choice. He’s only 27, so he’s not on the shelf yet. At Lyon, he rotates with Clerc, and both get a good amount of playing time. So I don’t see Anto leaving Lyon, title opportunities, and the CL just yet.

Interestingly enough, Patrick Muller was also linked to PSG, but he was quick to state that he wants to remain with Lyon if possible. He’s 30 years old and doesn’t feeling like changing clubs again, especially with Euro 2008 around the corner.

That’s an awful lot of Lyonnais linked with PSG.

Normally, I wouldn’t mind if one player went there. But FOUR? That’s not cutting down on excess, that’s heavily reinforcing the opposition with top notch players. PSG already has three former Lyon players in their ranks (Pierre-Alain Frau, Peguy Luyindula, and Jeremy Clement), and don’t forget that Paul Le Guen is ex-Lyonnais too. They would take over the club and fill it with a winning attitude, as they’ve been champions a lot longer than many of the players have been in Ligue 1! PSG would become Lyon Lite and a serious threat to their dominance next year.

Aulas knows it too, and as much as he likes Le Guen and PSG, he won’t make it easy for them. So perhaps only Wiltord will be allowed to join.

And also, Hatem Ben Arfa is considering his options while Fabio Santos will be putting in a transfer request in the next few weeks. I hope Ben Arfa stays, but honestly, I saw Fabio Santos’s departure coming. He’s was captain at Cruzeiro, and he barely gets to play at Lyon.