Lyon beat Southampton to the signing of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Tete after the Premier League blocked an immediate switch to St Mary’s, according to 90Min.
Earlier this week, reports claimed that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints were ‘confident’ of sealing a deal for Shakhtar’s £25 million-rated Brazil U23 international.
Southampton submitted a ‘formal offer’ for Tete and entered advanced negotiations with a player also on the radar of West Ham United, Leicester City and Everton, amongst others.
So why did the Saints miss out, pipped to the proverbial post by a Lyon side sitting tenth in Ligue 1 and facing up to their worst top-flight season since the mid-1990s?
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Well, it’s simple really. The Premier League made the decision, in March, not to allow players based in Russia and Ukraine to tear up their contracts and move to England outside of the transfer window.
But Ligue 1 made no such ruling. As a result, Lyon were able to do what Southampton could not, and bring Tete to the Groupama Stadium immediately.
Tete is under contract until the end of the season and is expected to sign a longer-team deal with the French giants in the summer.
Southampton’s loss is Lyon’s gain
“Tete will play with us until the end of the season. We are working for the medium term, so we want to keep him after the end of the season,” says Lyon director Vincent Ponceau (UA Football).
“For us, this is the best option. The desire of the player was decisive. I think Tete understands that we are a club with ambition.”
With the Russia – Ukraine conflict raging on, Tete is the latest in a long line of players who have fled Eastern Europe in search of employment elsewhere.
Former Shakhtar team-mate Pedrinho also has admirers in the Premier League – at Wolves and Everton in particular – but it remains to be seen if he is willing to wait until the summer for the chance to escape Donetsk.
“I am very happy to be here,” Tete adds, via Champion. “I am sure I can help the team. You know that the situation in Ukraine is very difficult. I was well received here and the Brazilians in the team influenced my decision to move here.
“In recent weeks I have been in Poland, keeping fit there. I’m happy to be in Lyon at least until the end of the season, but I want to stay here for a long time.”
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