Milan, Athekame shows no sign of stopping with Lyon: he is among Ligue 1’s best, and what is emerging about the January transfer window

Athekame named man of the match in Lyon-Nice: another decisive assist for the AC Milan-owned Swiss full-back

Zachary Athekame has France at his feet. All the major French sports newspapers have devoted considerable space to the Swiss right-back's performance in Lyon's 2-1 win over Nice. His assist for Tessman's second goal was a gem, underlining how quickly the 2004-born player has progressed since Paulo Fonseca put his faith in him from the outset. The Portuguese manager could also make his former club, AC Milan, happy: Athekame will return to base more assured and mature, with a value at least twice the nearly 10 million Igli Tare had agreed with Swiss side Young Boys for his sale.

Behind only Hakimi

Lyon fans have taken to this youngster. His personality and excellent technical ability have helped him establish himself from day one. Athekame's numbers suggest he is emerging as Ligue 1's best right-back: in 7 appearances, he has already scored two goals and provided 3 assists. PSG's Hakimi is still ahead of him on overall quality. AC Milan are watching, pleased with the choice they made last summer.

What is emerging about a possible return in January

"Athekame? We’re keeping an eye on him, as we are on the other loanees. At the start of the season, I saw him as more of a Moreira. I don’t know if the situation will change. That’s football. He’s doing very well under Fonseca, and we’ll see what happens in the future." Amorim made those comments about Athekame on 11 October while explaining the decision to send him to Lyon on a straight loan.

That decision may have been a little hasty. On the right, Chukwueze has only Hutchinson as cover, although the Englishman is certainly more attack-minded. Athekame has yet to convince Amorim completely, it seems, so the coach is unlikely to ask for him to return in the winter transfer window despite the relatively limited options on the right flank. Lyon also received firm guarantees that they could benefit from the former Young Boys player's services. In the meantime, Athekame is developing, enjoying himself and entertaining the Lyon fans.