Orel Mangala, a Belgian midfielder, has disclosed that he chose to join Lyon in January after being shown interest in the project by the French team.
The midfield player was inevitably questioned about his choice to move in January during his media appearances prior to Lyon’s match against the Metz on Friday.
At the close of the January transfer window, he signed a loan agreement with Lyon, paying Nottingham Forest €11.7 million in exchange for a €17.5 million buy option.
With two appearances and one goal in Ligue 1 thus far, he has swiftly established himself in Lyon’s midfield, making it likely that he will be activated at some point during the summer.
Given that the Belgian had made an impression in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest after coming from VfB Stuttgart in July 2022, the choice to relocate to France undoubtedly raised some eyebrows.
On the surface, a transfer to Lyon, a team at the bottom of the table in Ligue 1, appears to be a step back, but he is adamant that this is not the case.
“I think this championship is a little underappreciated, but it’s still beautiful. There is a strong level and some very good players coming out of it, he stated.
“OL is still a visually appealing team with a stellar past. The infrastructure is good. The club is not deserving of its current location. My enthusiasm in the project led me to come here.
