How are OL players coping with the summer's ups and downs and the uncertainties surrounding the transfer window?

In Lyon, the acronym GOLTC (Groupama Olympique Lyonnais Training Center) will soon be synonymous with an island of serenity in the heart of a club beset by turbulence. While the institution has been undergoing incessant turmoil for several weeks, the players are training as if nothing had happened. Or almost. "There's a great capacity to adapt," jokes a locker room regular. The return to training was scheduled for July 7, two days before the verdict of the federal appeals committee of the DNCG (National Directorate of Management Control), and the members of the squad haven't put their boots back on, completely removing themselves from the context.

Many people supported their employer by posting messages or emojis on social media before the verdict; many also expressed their relief when the decision to stay in Ligue 1 was announced in the early evening of July 9.

No more, no less. Since arriving at OL, they've learned to sort through their players. And they've found some positive elements in this tense start to the summer. First, a tight-knit and dedicated squad. Among the 29 players called up were many youngsters (Barisic, Chaïb, Laaziri, Halifa, Himbert, Merah, Gomes Rodriguez, Molebe), but also central defender Adryelson, since transferred to Al-Wasl (United Arab Emirates), as well as Orel Mangala (recovering) and Ernest Nuamah (receiving treatment).

Among the locker room executives, very few are certain they will still be Lyon players when the Championship resumes in a month, and even fewer at the end of the transfer window on September 1st. The squad has already lost three key attacking players (Rayan Cherki, Alexandre Lacazette and Thiago Almada). Among them, the first two played an important role in the cohesion of the squad. It is first of all this internal life that needs to be rebuilt, most likely around the unifying Moussa Niakhaté and the essential Corentin Tolisso, if the latter is not encouraged to respond positively to requests from Manchester United , among others.

While waiting for the first friendly match, Saturday behind closed doors against Villefranche-Beaujolais (National), the feedback from this start of preparation is rather convincing. Even veteran Nemanja Matic (37 years old on August 1), accustomed to shortened sessions under Pierre Sage, is reportedly going all the way through the daily schedule now. Despite the tense situation at the top of the club, despite the absence of any recruitment so far, the program is proceeding as decided in May. The situation paradoxically seems less unclear than a year ago, when the current Lens coach returned to his team without really knowing what strengths he could rely on in September, hanging on the inherently fickle transfer windows of the John Textor era.

In 2024, OL had restarted the season burdened by a bloated squad and a loft that would eventually include Cherki, just before his reinstatement after a contract extension, in the second half of September. The preferred tactical plan was not fully established, due to a lack of visibility on the profiles of the new arrivals. This time, none of that. Paulo Fonseca knows the probability of seeing a new Wilfried Zaha arrive - at random -, lacking motivation and not integrated into the project is very low. He has the opportunity to assess the youngsters' ability to integrate into the rotation, to precisely identify their needs.

The Portuguese coach arrived in January because Textor had been chasing him for a while. With the American businessman's dismissal, he theoretically lost a key supporter, who certainly saved his job in March after his head-to-head skid with referee Benoît Millot . The new governance has also extinguished any hope of a flashy recruitment. But he has also gained greater coherence in his operations. And the certainty that his cooperation with Matthieu Louis-Jean, the sporting director, will not be polluted by untimely interactions. In the current OL squad, everyone seems to know exactly where they belong, and that's already a huge step forward.