Loading ...Jul 31 2008
Almost Lost Item: Lyon Quickly Replaces Squillaci
Last week I wrote about Sebastein Squillaci making the move from Lyon of Ligue 1 to Sevilla in the Spanish Liga. Perhaps it’s because I have a spot in my heart for the marque clubs outside the big three leagues, but I questioned why Squillaci would want to move. Little did I know what Lyon already had a plan in place and was more than willing to let their star center back move.
To replace him, Lyon swooped for Ghanaian international John Mensah, who moves to the league champions from Stade Rennais for €8.4 million. Whether he can adjust to the demands of Lyon will be seen, as there is a difference between the schedule you keep at a club like Rennes (who finished a fine sixth in Le Championnat last season) and what you will be asked to do at Lyon. With the Champions League and the expectation that you will play deep into both all domestic competitions, the sure number of games will increase, particularly as World Cup qualifying demands the Ghana star.
Aside from that, only differences in style (not so much effect) distinguish Mensah from Squillaci. Squillaci is the more experienced, skilled, and steady of the two, but Mensah brings and athleticism and strength to the middle of the defense that Squillaci could not. As with any acquisition, there are risks associated with bringing in a new player - one with a different style of game - to replace a well-established piece.
Squillaci is also the more experienced of the two, having a decade’s worth of football in France on his resumé. That experience, though, brings with it age. Lyon is trying to transition from the core which has dominated this decade for French football into a squad which can rule the next. With Claude Puel, who had loaned out Squillaci from Monaco early in the defender’s career, replacing Alain Perrin, bringing in Mensah and letting Jean-Alain Boumsong help the assimilation made sense.
Mensah is 25 years old. With Mensah, striker Karim Benzema, newly confirmed Milan Baros, midfielders Jérémy Toulalan, Mathieu Bodmer, and Kim Källström, along with new starting goaltender Hugo Lloris, most of Lyon’s prospective starting XI is 26 years old or younger. They will be able to transition the remaining veterans - Boumsong, Cris, Anthony Réveillère, Sidney Govou and most notably Juninho - over the next couple of seasons, potentially using Lyon’s every-increasing financial profile, while trying to maintain their run atop Le Championnat.
Quotes
“I had a few offers, mostly from English clubs but I opted for Lyon on the insistence of my agent.” - Mensah
“It’s not going to be easy for me but I’ll do my best.” - Mensah
“I’m looking forward to linking up with (manager) Claude Puel, who is one of the best managers in France and has a great future in the game.” - Mensah
Links
Lyon sign Mensah
Wigan target to join Lyon
Ghana captain Mensah signs for Lyon
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