Monday, 3rd September, 2012
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas insists he would not have signed Joey Barton as Marseille have done, dubbing the English midfielder a "risk".
Barton was serving a 12-match ban for violent conduct with Premier League side Queens Park Rangers and was clearly surplus to requirements at Loftus Road.
The 30-year-old was then presented with the remarkable opportunity to spend a year on loan on the French south coast with Marseille – a chance he was only too happy to take.
Barton is delighted to have joined Elie Baup’s men and hopes are high that he can have a positive impact in Ligue 1.
But for Aulas, his signing is a risk, and not one the Lyon supremo would have taken.
"We would not have taken the risk there", Aulas told Canal +.
"We have guidelines, we try to have a group that works together.
"There are things we can do and things we would not do. We would not have taken him."
It remains to be seen just how well Barton will do in his year in France.
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