Late surprise as player now fit for West Ham clash – Manager says it changes ‘everything’

When they say things change quickly in football, they aren’t lying.

Earlier on Wednesday, we covered a report from RMC Sport that Karl Toko Ekambi wouldn’t be featuring for Lyon against West Ham United on Thursday in the Europa League because he was ill with Covid-19.

However, that has since changed, with Peter Bosz, the French club’s manager, revealing that the Cameroon international was now ‘no longer ill’ and will join his teammates on Wednesday night.

Asked what that meant for his plans against West Ham, the Dutch manager joked, relayed by RMC: “Everything, we’re going to put Houssem Aouar in goal (smiles). He wasn’t there for a few days, but he was training at home. I’ve seen photos.”

This means that whatever plans David Moyes had in place to nullify the threat placed by the forward can now be put back in motion, because with him fit, he will likely start the game on Thursday night.

As for West Ham, they now have to make do with facing a stronger Lyon side than anticipated this morning when the news he would be out first emerged.