Müller makes Lyon return
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Article summary
Switzerland defender Patrick Müller has agreed to rejoin Olympique Lyonnais after the French champions agreed a fee of up to €4m with FC Basel 1893.
Article body
Medical exam
The 29-year-old, who has agreed a two-and-a-half year contract with the Ligue 1 leaders, will complete the move after undergoing a medical. "Olympique Lyonnais have reached an agreement with Basel for the transfer of Patrick Müller," Lyon said in a statement. "The player will have a medical on Thursday morning before signing his contract."
Title glory
Müller, who has 63 caps for his country and featured in all three games at UEFA EURO 2004™, spent four seasons at Lyon from 2000/01, winning three consecutive league titles and scoring the winner in the 2001 French League Cup final. He left France in summer 2004, initially for Spanish side RCD Mallorca before returning to his homeland and Basel after just five league appearances. He went on to play 15 times as Basel topped the Swiss Football League, and has figured 13 times in this campaign.
'No learning time'
"He won't require any bedding in," said Lyon coach Gérard Houllier, who has lost defenders Claudio Caçapa, Eric Abidal, Jérémy Berthod and Anthony Réveillère to injury while Senegalese international Lamine Diatta is on African Cup of Nations duty. Müller is eligible to be registered for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages having been an unused substitute in Basel's loss to Werder Bremen in the third qualifying round and played five matches in the UEFA Cup.
