Lyon buzzes at Tino’s arrival
OLYMPIC Lyon sporting director Juninho Pernambucano expects new signing and Warriors striker Tino Kadewere to smoothly slot into the star-studded frontline even if top players such as Moussa Dembele and Mephis Depay, who are expected to leave, eventually stay.
Kadewere was officially unveiled by the club on Wednesday after signing from second-tier side Le Harve and his arrival has caused a buzz at the French Ligue 1 giants.
The lanky forward is expected to face stiff competition for a place in the team where Dembele is the main striker, but Juninho noted that Kadewere is versatile, hence he can play as a lone striker or alongside the former Celtic star who was trailed by English giants Chelsea in the last transfer window with the deal failing to materialise.
Chelsea are, however, expected to cool off interest in Dembele since they are expected to sign Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.
Dembele and Depay are some of the players that are being courted by other teams, particularly with Lyon likely to miss out on European football next season.
Lyon have said even if the top players left they would bring in quality forwards, but they will work hard to keep their prized assets and will be looking to form a lethal strike force that involves Kadewere who was signed for about US$13,6 million.
“Tino is able to play alone in front of, but also behind another striker. He is not a very greedy person in the game. He is complementary with Moussa Dembélé. The arrival of Karl Toko Ekambi has allowed us to change the way we play and Tino Kadewere will be able to thrive with lots of space. We want to have a better season and Tino can bring us a lot,” former Brazil midfielder, Juninho told the Press during Kadewere’s unveiling.
Club president Jean-Michelaulas expects Kadewere to play as soon as the first match.
“We are very happy that Tino is here. It was the subject of a significant transfer in January,” he said.
“He stayed six months with Le Havre and is now arriving to strengthen the team that will start the preparation for the Champion’s League and the final of the League Cup. He has many qualities, on and off the field. This is part of our selection criteria. There was a lot of competition to integrate the group and Tino stood out. He was crowned top scorer in Ligue 2 last season and won a number of best player trophies last season. He is an international, a very strong element in his selection, we believe in him. He will be qualified to play as soon as the first matches arrive. ”
He also shared information on the possible departure of some of the top players.
“Moussa (Dembélé) and Houssem (Aouar) are among the best players on the team with a different profile. Houssem is training at home. It brings us the technical touch. We will analyse the offers. Moussa has room for improvement. He scores goals. If we lose two players of this level, we would like to replace them with players of the same level. Memphis, we knew it was going to be a challenge. We discussed for an extension. We want him to stay. Memphis became a real leader before his injury. He made a lot of effort to recover. He will prepare to play. We don’t know if we are going to get its extention.”
Kadewere, who won the Ligue 2 golden boot award, promised to integrate into the group and be a team player.
“I am very happy to join Lyon. It’s a very big club, a club I dreamed of. I worked a lot to be able to sit in this place. I would like to thank the president, Juninho and Bruno Cheyrou who all facilitated my arrival. The players were very nice to me and integrated me directly into the group,” Kadewere said.
“To be a good player, you have to be a team player. I have my own qualities, but I especially know how to blend into a collective. I like to hold the ball. Growing up, I always had a ball between my feet. I'm also pretty quick. But again, the most important thing is to be a team player.”