The strategy is becoming clear
Lyon is making moves in January, and importantly, they're being smart about it. Endrick on loan from Real Madrid is the headline—a young attacker with genuine potential. Abdelli from Angers for a million euros is solid addition for midfield depth. But the real indicator of how they're thinking is Marshall Munetsi.
The Zimbabwean midfielder is at Wolverhampton, a club heading toward Premier League relegation. He's got four years left on his contract, which normally means nobody moves. But when a club is going down and needs to trim payroll before financial ruin hits, suddenly you've got leverage. That's not luck. That's reading the market correctly.
Munetsi isn't flashy, but he's proven
Here's what matters about Munetsi: he spent six seasons at Reims. He knows Ligue 1. He understands the pace, the physicality, the tactical demands. He's not coming in blind like some expensive prospect from a smaller league. He's coming in understanding exactly what he's walking into.
At Wolverhampton, he's been a regular starter. He's not some reserve hoping for minutes. He's a guy who showed enough to get picked week after week in the Premier League, which means he can handle pressure and tactical complexity. The fact that Wolves are having a terrible season isn't on Munetsi. That's a team-wide collapse. You can't blame a midfielder for his club being unable to score or defend consistently.
This is how you build with limited money
Lyon doesn't have unlimited resources. They can't spend forty million on one midfielder. So instead, they're doing what smart clubs do: identify players in bad situations at big clubs and negotiate from a position of strength. Wolverhampton is desperate to move players before the Premier League hammer comes down. Lyon knows this. They're going to get reasonable terms.
Endrick is the marquee name that gets people excited. That's the statement piece. Abdelli is the foundation—a young, energetic midfielder who could develop into something real. But Munetsi is the pragmatism. He's the guy who immediately improves the squad without destroying the wage structure.
The midfield is actually the problem
Paulo Fonseca has been clear: Lyon needs midfield reinforcement. Watch them play and it makes sense. They're not creating enough, they're not controlling games, they're vulnerable to being overrun. A midfielder who can hold possession, make simple passes, and break up play is more valuable than flashy attacking options right now.
Munetsi gives you that. He's not going to be the guy making the highlight reel. He's going to be the guy who goes 6/10 almost every week—solid, professional, does his job. That's what struggling teams actually need.
The bigger picture for Lyon
This mercato makes sense as a collection of moves. You're not trying to build a title contender. You're trying to stabilize, add depth, and give your manager the tools to compete for European qualification. Endrick has ceiling potential but ceiling potential doesn't win matches in February. Abdelli and Munetsi do the actual work.
If Lyon pulls off Munetsi, they've had a smart window. Not spectacular. Not expensive. But smart. And sometimes that's exactly what a club in their position needs—intelligent recruitment that addresses real problems instead of chasing names.
