In a surprising move, Lyon have made a move for Frank Lampard.
Olympique Lyonnais announced on the club’s website on Wednesday (December 12), “We have decided to end our cooperation with coach Laurent Blanc by mutual consent as of today. This decision also applies to coaches Frank Parsi and Philippe Lambert. The club would like to thank Blanc and his coaches for their commitment during his 11 months at the helm of the team.”
Blanc is a French soccer legend. After retiring from the game, he led Bordeaux to great acclaim. He also coached the French national team for two years starting in 2010. At that time, the French national team lost its status as the strongest Les Bleus squad due to various problems. He took responsibility and left the French national team. In 2013, he went to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a club that at the time was heavily invested and headed for prestige, where he stayed for three years. He did well in the Ligue 1, but a disappointing UEFA Champions League (UCL) campaign and a poor run of form at the end of the season led to his departure in 2016.
He then moved away from the field. There was a four-year coaching vacuum. Every time there was a managerial vacancy at a big European club, Blanc was mentioned, but never actually appointed. In 2020, he returned to the field, but not in Europe, but in Qatar. He took charge of Al Rayyan in the Qatari league and was sacked again after poor results. He replaced Peter Botts as Lyon coach in October 2022. Lyon finished last season in seventh place in the Ligue 1. It wasn’t quite up to the expectations of Lyon fans, but it was a mid-season appointment. In his first full season in charge, Blanc’s Lyon have been at their worst. In four games, they drew one and lost three, scoring three goals and conceding a shocking 10.
In the end, Lyon opted to fire him. Blanc’s replacement was rumored to be Julen Lopetegui, who left Wolverhampton, and Gennaro Gattuso, formerly of AC Milan and Napoli. Graham Potter, who was sacked by Chelsea, reportedly turned down the job. “Lampard has emerged as a candidate for the Lyon job,” the UK’s 90min reported.
As a player, Lampard was an England legend and the heart of Chelsea. After hanging up his boots, he turned to coaching and began his career with Derby County. He showed his leadership skills by leading Derby to success. In 2019, he returned to his hometown club, Chelsea. He led Chelsea through a FIFA suspension and won rave reviews for his performance. The following season, he was sacked after a poor run of form.
He tried to revive his career at Everton, but it was a disaster. After a shocking run of form, he was 토토사이트 sacked again. Porter then took over as Chelsea’s interim manager after Mourinho was sacked. Lampard’s Chelsea were so bad that there was talk of relegation at one point. Last season, Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League (PL). It was the lowest finish since the club’s inception.
Now that Lampard has left Chelsea again, Lyon are interested in him. Despite their recent falterings, Lyon are a Ligue 1 powerhouse and are in need of an experienced manager to help them through their current crisis. Lampard is an incredibly risky proposition given his managerial history.