Olympique Lyon manager Bruno Génésio has revealed that club captain Nabil Fekir is finding it difficult to re-adjust to life at the Groupama Stadium following the collapse of his dream move to Liverpool this summer.
The midfielder was expected to link up with Jurgen Klopp at Anfield for a reported £60 million, to join an already bolstered Liverpool squad, with an agreement between the Ligue 1 and Premier League sides already agreed.
Alisson Becker joined for a record fee for
a goalkeeper alongside Naby Keita and both have already made a significant
impact. Fabinho has also joined the Merseyside club but has yet to establish
himself as a first-team regular, as has Xherdan Shaqiri who is expected to
supply added depth in the Champions League and cup competitions.
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In the end Fekir's move fell through just as it was expected to be announced. 'Fekir Friday' started trending amongst Liverpool fans and there was even leaked footage of his first interview for the club's YouTube page. It seems that the collapse of the deal was due to an issue Liverpool had with the player's medical.
Now Lyon manager Bruno Génésio has revealed what the player's mindset has been like since he returned from World Cup duty, as reported by the Evening Standard, saying:
"It is never easy accepting this kind of situation, when you are very near to signing for a club where you want to go," Génésio said.
"Where you want to reach another level and to give a boost to your career.
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"But as I said, it could have been worse for him. He is at Lyon, at a strong club, he is captain of a team who plays in the Champions League."
While Lyon said in a club statement that negotiations with Liverpool had not succeeded, it is thought that Fekir's reconstructive surgery on his knee was the more likely explanation as to why the transfer did not go through.
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Since then, however, Fekir has won the World Cup, so it's not all bad really.
Liverpool don't look like they're missing the 25 year old just yet. They started with a 4-0 annihilation of West Ham and have followed that up with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Who will regret the move falling through most?
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