Ellyes Skhiri on Lyon interest: “The timing of the offer wasn’t right.” | OneFootball

In an interview given to L’Équipe, Köln midfielder Ellyes Skhiri has outlined his reasons for turning down a move to Lyon at the end of the January transfer window, notably explaining that the offer was sent too late in the month for him to be able to give it some thought.

The former Montpellier man came up through the youth ranks at La Paillade before spending four years in the senior side, making 133 appearances and scoring ten goals during that period. He then left for the Bundesliga in 2019 and has established himself as a regular with Köln. This year, he has three goals in 18 appearances.

Skhiri explains that the interest from Lyon was “flattering” coming from a club that he “likes a lot“, but that the fact he had just resumed the season with his club – “There was an urgency that didn’t suit me”. He adds that he spoke with the Lyon management and manager Laurent Blanc, who he says understood his decision, and points out that the door might not be closed yet on a move to Les Gones. The Tunisian international concludes that he hopes there will be some interest at the end of his contract, in four months, and that he is ambitious about the clubs he is aiming for – “I’m not stopping myself from dreaming big.”

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin