Back in the summer of 2025, many people were – quite legitimately – questioning Olympique Lyonnais’ decision to sign Tyler Morton. It has to be said that, given the Rhône-based club’s disastr...
Back in the summer of 2025, many people were – quite legitimately – questioning Olympique Lyonnais’ decision to sign Tyler Morton. It has to be said that, given the Rhône-based club’s disastrous financial situation, spending some €10m on a player whose experience of the ‘Big 5’ was limited to just about fifteen appearances seemed like a true gamble.
But the Wallasey native, a product of Liverpool’s academy, was determined to prove himself worthy of the trust placed in him by the Lyon entity. After all, Morton was trained at a school of excellence. And it didn’t take him long to show why the Reds’ training programme is considered one of the best in the world of football.
Quickly becoming a key player in Paulo Fonseca’s system, the Englishman has now become the driving force and one of the technical leaders of his team. An outstanding ball recovery specialist, Morton also stands out for his remarkable vision, notable accuracy and impressive defensive work, qualities that the 23-year-old has been able to showcase during the minutes that he has already spent on Ligue 1 pitches this season.
Most often positioned in a double pivot role alongside Tanner Tessmann, Mathys De Carvalho, or even his captain Corentin Tolisso, Morton is just as comfortable retaining the ball as he is occupying the opponent’s half of the pitch.
Morton already attracting suitors
In Ligue 1, he ranks as one of the players with the highest number of progressive runs, And no matter that Morton still has a meagre statistical record (one goal and one assist in the league), his importance at the heart of Les Gones’ play is invaluable. So much so that he is widely regarded in France as one of the most complete midfielders in the league.
All of which obviously speaks volumes about the talent of the 2025 European Under-21 champion, although there are still areas where he could improve, such as increasing his physical presence and reducing the number of misplaced forward passes. These are flaws that Morton will undoubtedly manage to iron out in the coming months.
The question now is whether he will do so at Olympique Lyonnais or elsewhere, as the English prodigy is already being targeted by several major European clubs. Regardless, for OL, Morton was a big financial gamble that looks to have really paid off.
Category: General Sports
