In winter, Rayan Cherki is about to switch to BVB – but the transfer fails. This is also the starting signal for a performance explosion.
Rayan Cherki only needed 23 seconds on Sunday evening to steer the away game at the OGC Nice for Olympique Lyon. In the 77th minute, the Cherki, which was initially spared, was substituted, shortly afterwards he finished 1-0 for the guests through the legs of Nice’s goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.
“He is an incredible player,” enthused Ol keeper Lucas Perri. “He hits his first shot and in every game he helps us a lot.” Also in the second goal by Ernest Nuamah (83.), Cherki had his feet in the game with the penultimate pass.
Rayan Cherki looks concentrated
“He changed the game,” wrote the sports newspaper L’équipe . Cherki is a lousy boy, together with Thiago Almada, who prepared both goals.
Cherki shines: emotional scenes with a blocked trainer
After his leading goal, Cherki pointed towards the stands. There, coach Paulo Fonseca was happy, who was closed to referee Benoît Millot until the end of November after his freak last week and can therefore only follow his club’s league games remotely.
This lock does not apply in the European Cup. Last Thursday, the 3-1 win of Lyon in the round of 16 of the Europa League at Steaua Bucharest came to emotional scenes. At the goal celebration, the whole team celebrated with their coach on the sidelines, Fonseca could hardly hold his tears back.
“We really have a very good relationship with the trainer. It hit us very much when we found out about his lock, ”said Cherki afterwards. “Before the game, we had a slight feeling of injustice and wanted to give everything for him. He gives us joy, good mood and self -confidence. And we want to give him something back because he is a very good person and he deserves it. This victory is 100 percent for the trainer. He is no one else. “
With two assists for the late double strike by Malick Fofana (86th, 89th), the offensive midfielder was also a decisive factor in that game.
Change from Cherki to BVB failed
As a reminder: In winter, the French junior national player was right before a move to Borussia Dortmund. Even a charter plane was ready to put the deal shortly before the transfer window closed. However, as in the previous summer, the transfer to BVB failed, which is said to have offered a little more than 22 million euros.
But Lyon stayed hard and also sent a few verbal poison arrows into the Ruhrpott. “The offer from Dortmund was communicated disrespectfully, was far below the market value and was badly chosen in time,” said Lyon-owner John Textor at Sky in early February.
Dortmund’s sports director Sebastian Kehl confirmed the failed negotiations and replied towards the textor: “We will not get involved in the game that Lyon played in the media.”
Cherki with performance explosion after burst BVB deal
The burst transfer looked like a starting signal for a performance explosion for Cherki. Since the beginning of February, the 21-year-old has been directly involved in at least one goal in each of his seven competitive games for OL. In Ligue 1, he scored three goals and six assists during this period, plus the two goals in the Europa League.
Since the beginning of February, Cherki had been directly involved in a goal of his team every 48 minutes. In view of such figures, Dortmund should certainly mourn the failed deal a little more. The still stumbling black and yellow, which lost 0-1 against FC Augsburg on Saturday and are under pressure in Lille on Wednesday in Lille on Wednesday.
And while BVB has to worry about the qualification for the Champions League in the Bundesliga, Lyon in Ligue 1, as a sixth in the table, can dream of the premier class again, especially thanks to Cherki.
“A special player with incredible talent”
“He is the best preparer in Ligue 1, so we expect a lot from him. He is an incredible talent, ”said Fonseca’s assistant Jorge Maciel, who represented his suspended coach on the sidelines. With a total of nine assists, Cherki leads the ranking of the template providers in France.
Maciel added: “It is important to understand that Rayan is a very special player with an incredible talent, but who benefits greatly from a strong collective.” Cherki apparently continues to find this in Lyon, the whereabouts have paid off personally from a sporting point of view.