Lyon fume at Chelsea for Malo Gusto treatment

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 8 Mar 2023 13:48 GMT
• 3 min read

Malo Gusto may be the forgotten man of Chelsea’s January transfer window to some extent, but Lyon continue to lean on the 19-year-old right-back and are furious with the way they are being treated by the Premier League side with regards the loan deal.

OL agreed to sell Gusto to Chelsea in January for €30 million with the proviso that he was loaned back for the remainder of the season as they chase European football.

Sitting 10th in Ligue 1, OL’s hopes are pinned on the Coupe de France, in which they will face Nantes in the semi-finals on 5 April.

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Lyon hope to have Gusto, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) f €26m, in their squad for that match but have been left puzzled and infuriated by Chelsea’s treatment of the youngster since he picked up an injury against Troyes in a 3-1 victory on 4 February.

After that encounter, head coach Laurent Blanc described the issue for the defender as a minor knock that would need limited care.

It was expected that Gusto would be back in the squad in the following week or two, yet he has not featured for OL in their subsequent five matches – a cause of much frustration in the Rhone Valley, with fingers now starting to be pointed at Chelsea.

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Chelsea accused of causing tension

Le Progres reports that Chelsea have been vague over when the player might return to action, causing tension with Lyon. Blanc has only had access to what is described as a minimum of information from the Blues, who have not been forthcoming with much detail of the teenager’s problem.

Lyon want Gusto back in their ranks before the international break later this month, but apparently have no idea if this will be possible or not. In the meantime, they are having to improvise with regards the right-back position, where they are short of natural cover.