Even those who do not follow French football in its most granular detail will be aware of the plight that could have befallen Lyon this summer.
Spared from administrative relegation to Ligue 2 just five and a half weeks before the start of the season, the club’s future in the French top flight hinged on their capacity to fulfil financial promises.
A firesale of the side’s most valuable assets duly ensued, and with it, expectations of a third successive season of European football dwindled.
Constrained by their financial frailties, Les Gones, spearheaded by sporting director Matthieu Louis-Jean, had to work diligently, embarking on an agile recruitment drive.
Spotting talent from lesser-known European leagues became a central tenet of their philosophy.
“We worked on different markets,” outlined the former Nottingham Forest right-back in September.
Amid a flurry of moves, Pavel Sulc and Ruben Kluivert arrived on permanent deals from Viktoria Plzen and Casa Pia respectively, while Adam Karabec joined from Sparta Prague on loan.
Louis-Jean has cultivated a burgeoning reputation as a strategic operator, but his most innovative market manoeuvre would have to wait until the winter window.
Having deviated from their reactive tendencies of the past, Lyon were left without a central striker of note, preferring to secure the temporary services of Martin Satriano on loan.
“We took a decision on the final day of the transfer window to leave the position of a first-choice striker open,” said general director Michael Gerlinger.
Louis-Jean, and Lyon’s wider recruitment department, were convinced an opportunity would present itself in January. Their intuition soon morphed into prophecy.
Having amassed just 99 minutes of action for Real Madrid during the first half of the season, Brazil striker Endrick needed an escape. Lyon were more than happy to provide sanctuary for a player and talisman they desperately craved.
“We had been waiting for a number nine for so long,” said Louis-Jean upon the 19-year-old’s unveiling after joining on loan until the end of the season.
