Athekame’s MOTM performance helps Lyon go top: “Milan will take him back in January”

Zachary Athekame is continuing to earn praise for his performances with Lyon, to the extent they seem worried about a recall.

Lyon are top of Ligue 1 after they came from behind to beat OGC Nice at home on Sunday night, with Athekame again playing a key role in the victory. He whipped in the free-kick that saw Tanner Tessmann head home what would prove to be the winning goal.

The Swiss full-back shows no signs of slowing down under the guidance of ex-Milan boss Paulo Fonseca. He now has five goal contributions (two goals, three assists) in seven Ligue 1 games, and he was crowned Man of the Match following yesterday’s win after a good defensive performance too.

Andrés Onrubia Ramos – correspondent for DiarioAS and laSER in Paris – spoke on X about Athekame’s growth so far in France, revealing his worry that Milan might try to bring him back early.

“Zachary Athekame is the best player at Olympique Lyonnais at the moment. And he’s probably among the top three right-backs in Ligue 1. Brutal physical superiority in duels on the right side, as well as great offensive projection. At this rate, AC Milan will take him back in January.”

Whether a mid-season recall is a possibility as per the loan agreement is not known, but reports have recently suggested that Ruben Amorim is already looking forward to working with the former Young Boys starlet again.