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Nabil Fekir left his cocoon Lyonnais to join a Spanish club in the background: Betis Seville. The French offensive midfielder was, however, approached by a big European team. But his career has experienced some damaging turbulence. Today, the world champion goes for a breath of fresh air in La Liga.
A world champion bids farewell to Ligue 1 and his training club in this summer of 2019. If the Parisians Alphonse Areola, Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappé, the Marseillais Steve Mandanda, Adil Rami and Florian Thauvin and the Monégasque Djibril Sidibé n ' have not moved yet, Nabil Fekir, him, changes horizon. His history with the Olympique Lyonnais officially ended on the night of 22 to Tuesday, July 23, with his transfer to Betis Seville.
📣 OFICIAL | El #RealBetis incorpora al campeón del mundo Nabil Fekir 📝🤝
¡Bienvenido, @NabilFekir! 🧞♂️🤤
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His bruised knee cost him Euro 2016 and a transfer to Liverpool for 70 million euros
A year from the end of his lease at OL, the attacking midfielder finally takes flight. Last year, just days before tackling the World Cup with the Blues, Nabil Fekir had already left 95% in Liverpool. But he was finally in his training club because the Reds had backtracked at the last minute, too frightened by the condition of the player's right knee.
This is one of the issues that gets upset when we talk about Nabil Fekir. Go back, September 4, 2015 to be precise. In a friendly match won in Portugal (1-0), the French collapsed. Verdict: rupture of the cruciate ligament, at least six months of absence. His dazzling trajectory since his professional debut two years earlier is stopped clean for the first time. From this dirty wound, the Lyonnais will keep traces. The total healing took time and especially missed Euro 2016. Contact with the Blues was also lost in certain periods.
The other important consequence is this doubt that now accompanies Nabil Fekir. At the end of a beautiful season 2017-2018 in a personal capacity, the Lyon captain was preparing to join Liverpool for nearly 70 million euros, before the coaster. Today, Betis Sevilla has had to spend "only" 19.75 million euros (plus 10 million euros maximum bonus possible) to focus its services. A loss of value that can be explained by the contractual situation of the international, by his last less brilliant season at OL and by this knee that causes him to suffer regularly and requires him to undergo surgery. Physically, the pure Gone has had difficult times in 2018-2019.
Betis to revive
In this summer mercato, Betis Seville showed itself, but it was not the only one. Arsenal and Naples also took information about the player. They had, unlike Betis, a participation in a European Cup next season to put in the balance (the Europa League for the Gunners, the Champions League for Napoli). Yet it is the offer of Andalusians that has been retained. According to L'Equipe , Nabil Fekir will go from a monthly salary of 350,000 euros gross to just under 600,000 euros gross. And his younger brother Yassin is also transferred from OL to Betis, who should lend him to another Spanish second division club.
Never titrated with the club of his heart, Nabil Fekir, 26, turns a page and starts a new story on a rather unexpected playground. La Liga, a championship known for its taste for technology, has everything to please, but Betis Sevilla is not really a cador: Atlético de Madrid, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are well beyond above, and Sevilla FC and Valencia CF are better ranked. Betis is more often used to soft belly and fight for the maintenance (he found the elite in 2015) than the first places. His best ranking over the last ten years: a sixth place finish in 2017-2018.
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A publication shared by Real Betis Balompie (@realbetisbalompie) on July 23, 2019 at 3:50 PDT
But the Betis can also be a very good ground to resume its march forward. In the Andalusian city, Nabil Fekir should meet an old acquaintance of Ligue 1 who found here a perfect springboard: Giovani Lo Celso. Unwanted at Thomas Tuchel's PSG, the Argentinian was sent to "Beticos" a year ago. In Seville, he blossomed, impressed Spain and Europe in the Europa League and was acquired for 25 million euros ... before being sold this summer to a European heavyweight with a huge plus- value at the key? This is the latest trend of the transfer window, anyway. A transfer window that saw Nabil Fekir take the green jersey of Betis; a shame for a Lyonnais.