Whiskey and a cigarette! Why Lyon dropped Adebayor interest

By Liam Prenderville | The Mirror |

Former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been accused of drinking and smoking during talks with Lyon.

Adebayor is a free agent after leaving Crystal Palace at the end of last season and appeared to be close to a move to the Ligue 1 side.

The Togo captain met with Lyon coach Bruno Genesio for talks earlier this month.

He has since blasted the French side amid reports the deal fell through because he refused to pull out of the African Cup of Nations in January.

But now Genesio has revealed the real reason for the collapse.

“We had a place in our squad for Manu, so I arranged to meet him for a coffee in Lyon,” he is quoted as saying by the Sun.

“But, to my surprise, when he arrived he asked for a shot of whisky in his coffee. He also had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.”

Genesio admitted the interview “began badly” before he decided not to pursue a move for the ex-Manchester City and Tottenham man.

“What followed confirmed my first impression that there was no room for him at our club,” he added.