Following Laurent Blanc’s departure, Lyon is looking for a new manager.
Considering Frank Lampard and Gennaro Gattuso
Last week, Graham Potter declined an approach.
Lampard is being eyed by Lyon / Fantasista/Getty Images
According to sources that spoke with 90min, Olympique Lyonnais is considering hiring Frank Lampard as their new manager.
Lyon, which is currently anchored to the bottom of the Ligue 1 standings after four games this season, confirmed on Monday that they and former manager Laurent Blanc have mutually agreed to end his contract.
Just before the start of the international break, after losing 4-1 at home to Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon’s supporters addressed the playing group in the Groupama Stadium, urging them not to desecrate the club’s crest.
Graham Potter, a former Chelsea head coach, was reportedly given the opportunity to succeed Blanc last week, but he turned it down after meeting with Lyon owner John Textor, according to Okpops.
Sources have now told 90min that Lyon are interested in another former Chelsea manager, with Lampard being a candidate for the position.
It’s known that Textor, who is also a co-owner of Crystal Palace, deeply respects the former player. In recent years, Lampard has received a lot of attention as a potential Eagles hire.
Since the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, when Mauricio Pochettino took over as Chelsea’s interim manager in place of Lampard, Lampard has been without a job.
He joined Everton at the start of the previous campaign but was fired in January, when the Toffees were in real danger of being dropped to the Championship.
Following his original one and a half year stint as Chelsea’s permanent head coach, Lampard took his first position with Everton. In his lone full season in command, he guided the Blues to a top-four position and the FA Cup final.
In 2018–19, Lampard’s first managerial venture was with Derby County. Aston Villa defeated his Rams team in the Championship Play-Off final.
Despite Lyon’s admiration for Lampard, other well-known players also catch their attention. Gennaro Gattuso, a former Milan great, is reportedly also on their short list.
Gattuso most recently served as Valencia’s manager, serving in that capacity from January 2023 until January 2023.
The former midfielder for Italy has had a turbulent management career. He was on the verge of becoming Tottenham Hotspur’s head coach in 2021, but the club reversed its plans in response to a fan backlash and chose Nuno Espirito Santo instead.
Gattuso was appointed as Fiorentina’s new manager that summer, but they mutually decided to part ways two weeks before the start of his contract.
