Orel Mangala has clarified his future one day after his disappointment with Belgium at the European Championships: the former Stuttgart player is staying at Olympique Lyon, who have made the 26-year-old the most expensive purchase in the club’s history.
Orel Mangala’s disappointment in the round of 16 on Monday evening, when his Belgium side were unlucky to lose to runners-up France in the last 16 thanks to an own goal, was less than 24 hours away before the mood was lifted. Olympique Lyon made it public on Tuesday evening that Mangala, who was loaned out (!) from Nottingham Forest in the winter for the hefty sum of 11.7 million euros, would be signed permanently.
According to the club, the Belgian European Championship player, who played in all four of Belgium’s games in Germany, is worth 23.4 million euros to OL. Adding the loan fee, no purchase in Lyon’s history has been so expensive.
Mangala will receive a four-year contract at Lyon until June 30, 2028. In the twelve competitive games for OL in the second half of the 2023/24 season, the midfield attacker started seven times and scored two Ligue 1 goals.
Only Johnson sold Forest for more money
Now he is set to become a central pillar of the future. Should Lyon one day consider selling Mangala, Forest would be entitled to ten percent of the sell-on fee, according to a club statement. At Premier League club Nottingham, however, only Brennan Johnson fetched more money – the striker was worth a whopping 55 million euros to Tottenham Hotspur.
Mangala comes with the recommendation of 72 Bundesliga appearances (two goals) and 58 second division appearances (one goal) for VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV. The 19-time Belgian international, who was born in Brussels, has made by far the most appearances for VfB in his career, scoring three goals and providing ten assists in 109 competitive matches. In July 2022, the Swabians, who also earned money from the Lyon deal, paid a base fee of €13 million for Mangala
