Just a few years ago, the entire football world was completely crazed about the move of one of Hollands up and coming stars to Manchester United. We are talking about Memphis Depay of course, the kid who helped PSV win the Dutch Everdivisie.
United’s previous manager, Louis Van Gaal, who also enabled Depay’s debut for Holland’s youth team, decided to bring the youngster to Old Trafford, but the Dutch international failed to produce the kind of performances that were expected of him. Whether it was the strength of opponents in EPL or the sheer pressure of playing for such a big team, but Depay only managed to score 2 league goals in 33 appearances in England’s top flight, along with 5 other European goals.
Of course, 7 goals in 53 appearances did not satisfy United and especially Jose Mourinho, who decided now that the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic were playing for the Red Devils, it was about time the club cut the costs and dropped the 22 year old forward.
Depay Moves To Lyon
In order to offload Depay and save the club £75,000 per week, Mourinho needed to find a side who would pay a reasonable price for the young Dutchman. This he found in French Ligue 1 side Lyon who are currently fighting to make it into the top three of the French top division.
Lyon were excited about the prospect of bringing such a young player who has shown in the past that he has what it takes and that he can produce when not under pressure. It is the hope of the French that a move to Ligue 1 will help alleviate some of the tremendous pressure that was put on him by playing for such a massive club and that Memphis will be back to his free scoring ways.
For Depay, who was barely playing at United, a move to a less competitive league where he will surely get more playing time was also a great idea. Much like Mario Balotelli who is thriving at Nice, Depay will get an opportunity to re-establish himself and pick-up his career, which would give him plenty of chances to re-join one of the world’s best clubs in the future when he is older and more experienced.
United Show A Small Loss
Back in 2015, Memphis Depay cost the Red Devils EUR34 Million. The initial price that Lyon have paid is half that, but another EUR8 Million can be earned by the club if all add-ons are paid, which would mean that Depay is performing at a good level at Lyon. Whether this happens remains to be seen but United will show a slight loss in either case when the transfer fees are in question.
Still, given the fact they will be saving a reasonable amount every month from wages they won’t have to pay, the club are surely making a profit and Depay did contribute to United overall over the past two seasons, so there won’t be any hard feelings towards the youngster at Old Trafford.
Can Lyon Thrive With Depay?
Lyon are currently ranked 4th in Ligue 1, 12 points behind Nice in 3rd but with 2 games in hand. With just 17 games to go in their season, it will be difficult for them to catch up with the leading three and win a Champions League spot, but Depay’s arrival is certain to boost some spirits at the club. Their recent performances have in fact been poor, but as the Dutchman adapts to the club and the league, everyone is expecting him to start scoring like he did back at PSV.
The bookies are pricing Lyon at 5/2 to reach the top three and 100/1 to win the whole league. While it is not realistic to expect Nice, Monaco and PSG all to drop in form, Lyon will certainly be there to take advantage of any such situations and a top three spot is surely still on the cards for them. You can find the best bookmakers to place this bet at critical-reviews.com, where you will find the reviews of all the finest bookies out there and surely find the best odds for any bet all year round.