Zimbabwe: Kadewere Linked With Move Away From Lyon
By Eddie Chikamhi
ZIMBABWE international Tino Kadewere has been linked with a move away from French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon.
Kadewere's future at Lyon has become a subject of intense speculation after the 26-year-old fell down the pecking order at the club on the back of recurring injuries and general loss of form.
French news outlets reported at the weekend that Kadewere was being tracked by at least four clubs that include Marshall Munetsi's Stade de Reims, Troys, Lorient and Rennes.
According to Foot Mercato, Rennes top the list in the race for Kadewere as they look to replace Serhou Guirassy who could be headed for England during the January window.
The Foot Mercato however said Lyon do not have plans yet to let go of the striker. Kadewere joined the former Ligue 1 champions in 2020 for €12m. A possible move to Rennes has been hyped in the French media.
"... the Breton club (Rennes) has ticked the name of Tino Kadewere (26 years old), whom Lyon does not want to see leave especially since the elimination of Zimbabwe from the Africa Cup of Nations, and who is also coveted by Troyes, Reims, Lorient for a loan of six months," reported Foot Mercato.
Kadewere was part of the Zimbabwe team at the AFCON tournament currently taking place in Cameroon. He featured in all three group matches as the Warriors were eliminated from the tournament early.
Kadewere was back at Lyon at the weekend and played the last 30 minutes of the 1-0 win over Saint Etienne in the Rhone Derby.
However, the lanky forward has not played a big part in the current campaign. Kadewere has made one start and six appearances overall after round 21 of the French Ligue 1 marathon.
The former Harare City forward enjoyed a successful debut season in France's topflight league after arriving from Le Havre with the reputation of winning the Ligue 2 Golden Boot.
He finished the season with 10 goals in 33 appearances. He also provided three assists as Olympic Lyon finished fourth behind champions Lille, PSG, and Monaco.
With a bit of consistency, they could have qualified for the UEFA Champions League. The Zimbabwean was Lyon's third-highest scorer behind Memphis Depay (20), who has since moved to Barcelona, and Cameroonian Karl Toko Ekambi (14).
This was despite Kadewere missing most matches at the start of the season and also having to deal with the injury curse late on in the campaign.
Having impressed last season under Rudi Garcia, Kadewere was expected to play another big part for Lyon this year following the departure of Dembele.
But he is yet to impress new manager, Peter Bosz, who has deployed him sparingly in what has turned out to be a difficult season for the side.
Unlike the previous season when he did not need much time to settle, Kadewere is yet to open his scoring this campaign. Lyon currently sit in 11th place with 31 points, a massive 29 behind log leaders PSG.
This article originally appeared on The Herald
Photo: The Herald