Back home. Georges Mikautadze will make his official debut for Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday 18 August (8:45 p.m.) in Rennes on the first matchday of Ligue 1. After a successful last half of the season despite the relegation of FC Metz (12 goals and three assists in 19 games after six months of failure at Ajax Amsterdam), and a remarkable European Championship (joint top scorer with three goals and qualification for the round of 16), the Georgian striker made the choice of his heart when he moved to OL in mid-July for 18.5 million euros (excluding bonuses).
This is despite a delay in payment by Lyon of the first instalment of his transfer to the Grenats. The latter have also contacted the Legal Commission of the Professional Football League (LFP), although the mess has not yet been resolved.
From 2008 to 2015, the Gaul native played in the club’s youth ranks, notably alongside Maxence Caqueret. At 15, he was dropped because of his height (1.76 m) and his physique, which was considered too weak, and finally started afresh in Saint-Priest, a suburb of Lyon, before moving to FC Metz. The centre-forward bears no grudges and has never stopped proclaiming his love for Lyon, even as far as Saint-Etienne, where he celebrated a double in April 2023 by imitating the number 69, that of the Rhône department, a number that he will also wear this summer. Enough to delight the fans of the Rhône department.
“Since I was little, I dreamed of wearing this jersey. There was this madness that motivated me even more. I want to show everyone that I can do great things here. OL was always in the back of my mind. When I heard that the club wanted me, I was very happy and told my agents that I preferred OL to any team.”he admitted in an interview on the club’s website on July 20, while AS Monaco had long been considered the favorite to sign him.
Although the arrival of the player nicknamed “King George” does not fill the gaps in Lyon’s midfield, which may still be too small for the announced Champions League goal, it should serve to prepare for the future. Alexandre Lacazette was 33 years old and played a key role in OL’s crazy comeback, which qualified for the Europa League last season from the bottom of the table. An age to take into account when a year of at least 43 games is ahead, especially since the Lyon captain was on board with the French Olympic team until August 9.
“There are two ways to combine them: either in the same game, without them playing together, by distributing the playing times, or simultaneouslysaid coach Pierre Sage in early August, knowing that his coach sometimes needs to take a breather. That’s why we visited other organizations as part of the preparation. In any case, it’s more about multiple solutions than a new problem. As soon as both work well, I’ll definitely start racking my brains to find solutions to this equation.”
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“It is up to me to adapt to the team and the coach’s demands. confirmed Georges Mikautadze, contract until June 2028. I’m looking forward to working with Alexandre because he’s a great striker. He inspires me a little and I think we’ll complement each other. He can want the ball at his feet and I can go deep or vice versa. We can do both.”
In three matches against Turin (0-0), Union Berlin (4-0) and Arsenal (0-2), the 23-year-old centre-forward has yet to score in pre-season friendlies. In the absence of “General” Lacazette, who was excused from the trip to Bretons to rest after the Olympics (but who should return on the second day against Monaco), he will have a first opportunity to open his official goal in the colours he loves so much.
