At the end of a mixed 2022-23 financial year, Laurent Blanc, at the time coach of Olympique Lyonnais, was counting on the summer transfer window to strengthen his squad, on the sidelines of the resumption of the French championship. From then on, the recruitment unit and its director Matthieu Louis-Jean drew up a short list which included several Real Bétis players like William Carvalho and Guido Rodriguez. If the Portuguese’s salary demands cooled Rhone’s enthusiasm, the Argentinian very quickly became the most credible target for the number 6 position. However, the French club has long come up against the intransigence of the Andalusians, who demanded a tidy sum to sell their protégé as he entered the last year of his contract.
A transfer to OL that fell through on the gong…
Having to deal in parallel with the supervision of its payroll and its transfer allowances by the DNCG, the French financial policeman, Olympique Lyonnais played for time on this issue for a long time before intensifying discussions with the entourage of the 29-year-old player as well as with the formation of the South of Spain in the last days of the transfer market. After formulating a new proposal of €12 million, OL reached an agreement with the 2022 world champion on the basis of a four-year contract. But the dream of seeing Guido Rodriguez don the Rhone tunic was shattered in the last moments of the transfer window. To everyone’s surprise, the Argentinian finally turned his back on the seven-time French champion. If his club was firm in indicating that he would not leave Andalusia this summer, the main interested party announced to the Rhone leaders that he would not sign for personal reasons. As a result, Lyon fell back on Paul Akouokou, a 25-year-old midfielder on loan from Betis, while Guido Rodriguez remained at the dock.
A controversial decision if we stick to the progress of the negotiations between representatives of the Argentinian and the current red lantern of Ligue 1 but which echoes the remarks made by the main interested party at the beginning of the month ‘august. “I try to be as honest as possible. The club wants me to continue, I also want to continue but we have to find an agreement. There are some things that need to be discussed, but I’m happy here. I’m enjoying it, my family is happy. I have one year left on my contract and I’m doing very well. The club continues to grow, I want to continue to grow and we have to put a lot of things in the balance to continue… Important players are arriving, who will help us a lot, who come with the desire to win, they are great players. quality”declared the captain of the Verdiblancos, referring to the returns of Marc Bartra, Hector Bellerin and Ayoze Perez as well as the signings of Marco Roca and Isco during an interview granted to Relevo. Less than three months later, what happens to Guido Rodriguez? The page turned, the native of Saenz Pena once again focused on the resumption of La Liga and on the objectives displayed by Real Bétis at the start of the season.
As we approach the third of the season in the Spanish championship, Real Bétis is in ambush for the European places and camped in seventh place, seven units from the Top 4. Qualified for the 3rd consecutive year in the Europa League after having having finished the previous year in sixth place, the Verdiblancos occupy 1st place in Group C and are in a favorable position to compete in the round of 16 of the competition with 9 points gleaned from 4 matches. A correct assessment for the Andalusian club to which the Argentinian is far from being a stranger. Associated with Marc Roca, Guido Rodriguez has become indispensable in the eyes of his coach, Manuel Pellegrini, so much so that he has started a series of starts (he has 14 in 16 matches in all competitions for 1 goal and 1 assist). In the midfield, the influence of the 2022 world champion is precious. Although he is the player on his team who has received the most cautions (5) in La Liga, he displays an impressive record of duels won (42 won, 20 fouls suffered) while being one of the team’s trusted men. the ex-West Ham coach to have covered the most kilometers this season (75 km). With a large volume of play, the former America’s player proves that he is also a ball player. Without a doubt, his ability to repeat efforts, his intelligence in positioning and his physical solidity would have been beneficial to a Lyon team which has shown big shortcomings in this compartment of play for several seasons. The proof is blatant this season with regard to the performances of the Rhone environment which is experiencing enormous difficulties in all sectors, from recovery to creativity.
After Barça, Atlético de Madrid advance their pawns
Left to stay, Guido Rodriguez therefore continues to attract the favor of his coach despite a delicate contractual situation. As mentioned previously, the Argentinian has entered the last year of his lease with Real Bétis and discussions to renew it have stalled. At the beginning of October, the main interested party spoke about his future in Andalusia on the podcast The Captain, hosted by Sandra de la Vega, the partner of his Verdiblancos teammate, Andres Guardado. During it, the native of Saenz Pena declared that he was still deep in thought, prioritizing the comfort of life and the cohesion of the group within the Spanish team. At the same time, the residents of the Benito-Villamarin stadium ardently wish to keep it but are dangerously aware that other teams are coming knocking at its door, like FC Barcelona. Faithful to its strategy focused on players at the end of their contract and implemented this summer given its limited financial resources, Barça is eyeing Guido Rodriguez. Orphaned by Sergio Busquets, who left for Inter Milan, the Catalan club is looking for a new defensive midfielder and his replacement Oriol Romeu, who arrived from Girona, does not live up to expectations. It is following this logic that the Argentinian then appears a potential target. But the reigning Spanish champion is not the only team on the file because Atlético de Madrid has once again reiterated its interest in the number 5 of the Verdiblancos.
According to information reported by Spanish journalist Pedro Morata in El Partidazo COPE, the Madrid club has taken a step ahead of the Blaugrana rival. Argentine coach Diego Simeone, recently reappointed at the head of the Colchoneros until 2027, indicated that the defensive midfielder position was one of the priorities for the next transfer market. This is how the name of Guido Rodriguez came back to the ears of El Cholo, who had already tried to approach him in the summer of 2022. The main interested party would then seriously study a transfer towards Madrid to the extent that the discussions with residents of Civitas Metropolitano have reached an advanced stage. Now, all that remains is for the Madrilenians to complete the matter of knowing the position of Real Bétis before sitting at the negotiating table with a view to enlisting the 29-year-old player this winter at low cost. For his part, Ramon Alarcon, who undoubtedly hopes to recover a check in the event of the departure of his protégé during the winter transfer window, admitted the difficulties encountered in extending his lease. “We are in negotiations. There are days when I think we will arrive safely because we have a great mutual respect and affection. Given his level, he may have an option that he cannot refuse and no longer continue with us. This is the world of football, you have a great professional who gives this performance for 4 years without interruption and it is normal that he has many suitors. We will try to keep him with us and if not, we wish him the best.”declared the CEO (for Chief Executive Officer) of the Andalusian club who recently spoke exclusively with Marca Mexico. In short, the next few weeks promise to be decisive for a player who came within a hair’s breadth of discovering the French championship this season.
