It’s been a season of ups and downs for Southampton loanee Duje Caleta-Car, who is having a loan spell at Lyon.
Despite being a starter under Laurent Blanc, the defender then had a tough time in when Fabio Grosso was in charge of his club, as he was sidelined and didn’t even make it to the bench for a few games.
Things got back to normal after the arrival of Pierre Sage, though, and Caleta-Car is now quoted by Ouest France talking about this turnaround during a press conference.
“I had bad moments with the last coach, it was difficult, but that’s part of football. When the new coach arrived, he spoke to us. I felt from the first training session that he gave us all the confidence we needed. That makes everything easier,” said Caleta-Car.
When agreeing the deal with Southampton, Lyon negotiated an option to buy Caleta-Car, so a good season in France is crucial for that deal to go through.
The defender now has 14 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, holding a starting place in six of their last seven league games, and that’s a clear sign that he’s back for good.
That means Southampton can probably rub their hands about a summer sale. Previous reports from France said Lyon first paid €1.54m for the loan, and the buying option would cost them €3.59m, as well as a potential €2.1m bonus.
