The End Of The Nabil Fekir Saga

by
Chase Brittingham
July 25, 2019

Photo credit to RealBetis via Twitter

The End Of The Nabil Fekir Saga

Alas, the resolution to a year long saga is finally upon us. Nabil Fekir has swapped Olympique Lyon for Real Betis for $22 million. The story begins last summer when the French playmaker was set to be Liverpool’s replacement for Phillipe Coutinho. He was so close to moving that he had already taken pictures in a Liverpool kit. However, the deal was halted for an alleged issue with a previous knee issue. Whether that is true or not we will never really know.

Since then he has been relentlessly linked with Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton, Real Madrid, and of course Liverpool again. How and why he left Lyon for Real Betis is still somewhat of a mystery to me.

What To Expect

La Liga is undoubtedly more competitive than Ligue 1. However, Lyon offered consistent Champions League action appearing in four out of the last five tournaments. On the other hand, Real Betis hasn’t made a Champions League appearance since 2005. He was apart of a team that just this year beat Manchester City at the Etihad and Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc Olympique Lyon. Fekir scored in both games and was an integral part of their success throughout the season. So why leave your boyhood club for a much less attractive team in a league where there is realistically only one Champions League place available and 17 teams battling for it?

With that being said, from a Real Betis perspective, they captured Fekir for a bargain. Additionally, he will certainly be a welcome addition to an improving young squad under new manager Rubi as he continues to revamp Los Verdiblancos. Nabil Fekir is his fourth signing since taking over as the former Real Betis winger looks to recreate his success with Espanyol last season.

The Signing

Real Betis’ signing of a new creative midfielder has further ramifications. Former PSG player and current Real Betis talisman Giovani Lo Celso has links to Tottenham Hotspur with a reported £45 million offer on the table. If Tottenham do sign the Argentine, want-away star Christian Eriksen could get his wish with Lo Celso being a viable replacement.