Lyon have been relegated from Ligue 1 and Everton should look to sign a familiar face if the deal is right.
Evertonians must feel that another bullet has been dodged.
It then appeared that John Textor could be the businessman to put Everton on the straight and narrow after a turbulent few years under the control of majority owner Farhad Moshiri. Textor already owned 43 per cent of Premier League rivals Crystal Palace but had only 25 per cent of voting rights, so was keen to control a Premier League club. His company Eagle Football Holdings also own Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais and Brazilian club Botafogo.
However, despite Textor going public about his proposed purchase of Everton, it did not go through. The only reason why Textor got into such a position was because of The Friedkin Group (TFG) pulling out of a previous deal. But TFG came back to the table, with their purchase being ratified in December.
Yet there was some benefit to Textor’s negotiations. Last summer, Everton signed Jake O’Brien for £16 million from Lyon. The defender was excellent in the second half of the 2024-25 season after David Moyes returned as manager as he was deployed as a right-back. O’Brien’s price tag will have already risen and he has a bright future ahead on Merseyside.
The Toffees also managed to bring in Orel Mangala on the final day of the summer transfer window. The midfielder arrived from Lyon on a season-long loan. Amid Lyon’s financial problems, Mangala’s move to Everton eased the wage bill at the Groupama Stadium.
Mangala enjoyed a decent spell at Goodison Park. He took a few weeks to get up to speed before establishing himself as a mainstay next to Idrissa Gana Gueye in the engine room. He made a total of 21 appearances for Everton, scoring once in a 4-0 win over Wolves. However, his time on Merseyside was cruelly curtailed by an ACL injury sustained in a 1-0 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion last January. The Belgium international had started nine successive league games before his cruel blow that kept him sidelined for the remainder of the campaign and an operation was required.
Given the severity of Mangala’s issue, the injury put paid to any talk of Mangala moving to Everton on a permanent basis. ACL issues can take 6-12 months before a full recovery, depending on how the rehab period goes.
But with the latest developments in Lyon, perhaps a cut-price move for Mangala could be one to consider. Moyes is likely to be in the market for a new midfielder this summer, but funds may be prioritised to sign a striker and wingers. Yet the fact that Lyon have been relegated from Ligue 1 could mean they require sales. Les Gones were provisionally demoted in November by French football watchdog DNCG for debts that reached €500m. That decision has been upheld after talks, although Lyon plan to appeal.
A club statement said: "Olympique Lyonnais takes note of the incomprehensible decision handed down by the DNCG this evening and confirms that it will appeal immediately," the club said.
"With demonstrated funds and sporting success that has earned us a place in European competition two years running, we sincerely fail to understand how an administrative decision could relegate such a great French club."
Having already sold Rayan Cherki to Manchester City, Lyon may well need to offload more members of their squad - and Mangala could be one. Granted, the former Nottingham Forest man may not be fit for the opening period of the season. But having been spotted training abroad with his former Everton team-mate Jack Harrison, Mangala appears to have made good progress.
Moyes covets players who have Premier League experience, which Mangala boasts. In terms of current senior midfield options, Everton have only James Garner under contract. Gana Gueye is in talks about signing fresh terms although Abdoulaye Doucoure left at the end of his deal and Tim Iroegbunam is still unproven at the level. The Toffees need to strengthen. Perhaps if the deal were to be right for Everton then it might be one to ponder.
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