Jean Makoun leapt into the arms of Sydney Govou, the two toppling to the ground. A few seconds later the two were covered in a pile of blue shirts as the stadium rocked around them.
Moments before, Makoun had run onto a loose ball near the half-way line, dribbled straight at Raul Albiol and unleashed a rocketing, out-curling lash with his right foot that eluded a diving Iker Casillas and given Lyon a 1-0 lead over Real Madrid in their Champions League tie.
That was last February. Lyon drew the return leg 1-1 at the Bernabeu and advanced all the way to the semifinals before bowing out to Bayern Munich. Makoun made 13 appearances for Les Gones in the Champions League, bringing his career total to 46.
Over the weekend he agreead to join Villa. And while work permit issues meant he missed Sunday’s derby against Birmingham City, the deal is expected to be completed ahead of next weekend’s match at home to Manchester City.
That Villa are about to sign a very, very good player goes without saying. Makoun’s CV speaks for itself. After joining Lille in 2002, he was the centerpiece of the diminutive Ligue 1 side’s runs to the Champions League knockout stages in 2005-06 and 2006-07. After joining Lyon in 2008, he proceeded to have his best season in club football, scoring nine goals in 47 appearances. All the while, he was busy amassing 54 caps for Cameroon.
In Makoun, Villa are getting a responsible, defensive midfielder with pace and an eye for goal. He won’t shy away from the physical stuff, either, and should adjust quickly to the Premier League. And at £5 million, he comes at a cut-rate rice. It’s good value for the club, and shows well on under-fire manager Gerard Houllier.
But Makoun won’t lift Aston Villa into the top half of the table on his own. The club entered the January transfer window needing upgrades in each third of the park. They have now addressed one of them. Two remain, and Houllier’s ability to make those upgrades will go a long way in shaping how he’s perceived.
http://twitter.com/peterssoccer
type="text/javascript">
Follow ESPNsoccernet's Football Correspondents on Twitter and Facebook
Comments
 |
Posted by Anonymous on 01/14/2011
Good move for Villa. He should take over Reo-Coker's role in the center of the pitch. He would allow more freedom for Petrov and Bannan and potentially add more goals, which Villa desperately needs. Sound value move Houllier, but you are still on thin ice IMO.
|
Posted by TJ on 01/15/2011
Fantastic. Great partner for short term Petrov and long term Delph/Bannan/Gardner.
He and Walker will make a BIG difference to the way we play. Take out the 2 least technically talented players in the team who seem to always be the ones in possession, Cuellar and NRC (though both are very good players) and replaced them with a people who can keep the ball and use it effectively, it will aid our transition to a passing team immensely.
Great signing for our football club, means nothing to Houllier if he still can't pick up results.
|
Posted by soonerfan61 on 01/15/2011
I can't believe he's not available for two weeks though...sucks!
Posted by bill on 01/16/2011
Makoun is a good signing, no doubt.Can't believe he comes at that price. Passing skills alone will allow Petrov to move off the ball. Reo-Coker works hard, but his lack of offensive skills are obvious. Wouldn't be so quick to replace Cuellar. Dunne and Collins in the middle are like Laurel and Hardy. But the 2 signings are a positive start.....now about that striker. BTW, Villa reserves thrashed Arsenal's 10-1. Now , I know it's the reserves, but why can't we score more than once with the Seniors? We really need someone with pace to come in. Gabby and Carew have been dreadful.
| |
Post your comment |
|
|
Kevin Hughes spent the best part of ten years working and writing for the football magazine Match; once (sort of) inspiring David Beckham to copy his shaved-hair look, getting lost in Paris after the 1998 France v Croatia World Cup semi-final and other such nonsense. As Deputy Editor, he launched and established Sport, the London-based free weekly magazine, before moving on to become a consumer magazine publisher, a position he holds today. Introduced to Villa by his father and grandfather, he attended his first ever match at Villa Park as a seven-year-old in 1982… and has suffered almost constant disappointment since. You can follow him on twitter @KevHughesie
RSS feed