An ego war? Silver ? Picture? Certainly, all three at the same time. For several days, Jean-Michel Aulas, former president of OL, and John Textor, new owner of the club, have been settling their accounts through the press, or on social networks. This time, it was the American who drew.
In an interview given to the British media The Atletic, John Textor reveals a little more behind the scenes of his arrival in Lyon and his first months of work for a year.
“The man who ran the company (Jean-Michel Aulas), who sold us two-thirds of his shares, has seller’s remorse, analyzes the boss of Eagle Football, the holding company that bought OL. The first months of working with Jean-Michel were quite difficult. We paid him almost 100 million euros, but we found that we did not have much influence, despite owning 80% of the company.
For the new entrant in the capital of Olympique Lyonnais, the collaboration with the former leaders did not always go well. “As the weeks went by, his enthusiasm for the financial transaction faded and I think he realized that his life had changed and that he didn’t want to give up control, insists John Textor. It happens. It’s human nature. I had wonderful days with Jean-Michel, then surprising days.
During this interview, the 57-year-old American leader also gives an update on Lyon’s finances and promises the sale of the women’s section by the end of the year. “For example, we will sell some non-essential players, promises John Textor. We’re going to sell the Seattle women’s team, we’re going to raise funds. So the problem of 36 million euros in eleven months is no longer a problem.
Finally, John Textor also returned to Jeffinho’s arrival at OL last winter. For timeshare, the boss of Eagle ensures to buy another English club if he were to sell Crystal Palace. “Jeffinho was considered a young athlete because he came from a small academy and had very little professional experience, but he was not young. He was 23 and had just become a father. The time had come for him to move on to Europe.”
