Lyon have sacked manager Laurent Blanc, following an horrendous start to the 2023/24 season.
Blanc led the French club to a 7th-place finish in the Ligue 1 last season, outside of the league’s European spots.
Lyon have commenced the Ligue 1 season on a disastrous note, losing 3 out of 4 matches played this campaign.
Laurent Blanc took charge of Les Gones in their 2-1 loss to Strasbourg, in what was their first game of the 2023/24 season.
The Frenchman also managed the club in the 4-1 demolition received at the hands of Montpellier.
In Matchday 3, they drew 0-0 with Nice, before returning to losing ways, suffering a 4-1 bashing from Paris Saint Germain.
The humbling loss to the Parisians was the last straw for the administrators of Lyon, and they have decided to dismiss Laurent Blanc.
Lyon sack manager Laurent Blanc
In a statement released by the French club on Monday, September 11, 2023, they revealed that both parties have “mutually” agreed to discontinue their partnership.
Laurent Blanc was appointed manager of Olympique Lyon on October 9, 2022, and he was the manager of the team for 11 months and 2 days.
The 7-time Ligue 1 champions also thanked Blanc and his staff for their contributions to the team.
The club wrote: “Olympique Lyonnais would like to thank Laurent Blanc and his staff for their dedication and professionalism during these 11 months at the helm of the professional team.”
Laurent Blanc previously managed Paris Saint Germain, Bordeaux, and France, and coaching Lyon was his return to European club management.
Before joining Lyon in October 2022, the former Manchester United player also managed Al Rayyan.
The 57-year-old was the head coach of the Qatari club from December 19, 2020, till February 13, 2022.
Blanc’s shambolic spell at Lyonnais saw him average a tally of 1.53 points per game, and it is the worst of any manager that had previously coached Lyon in the past 25 years, except Sylvinho.
Sylvinho was manager of Olympique Lyonnais from July 2019 till October 2019, and the Albanian took charge of the club for only 9 matches.
Who would become the next manager of Lyon?
Meanwhile, Lyon have lined up several names as possible replacements for Laurent Blanc, including former AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso.
Graham Potter, who was previously in charge of Chelsea reportedly rejected the French club last week.
Blanc has had a relatively successful managerial career winning several trophies including; 4 Ligue 1 titles, 2 Coupe de France, and 5 Trophée des Champions.
He has won the Ligue 1 Manager of the Year on three occasions; 2008, 2015, and 2016 and the French Manager of the Year on two occasions; 2009 and 2015.
The 57-year-old has taken charge of 451 matches, and he has won 272 games, drawing 88 and losing 91. Laurent Blanc has an impressive win percentage of 60.31%.
The Frenchman played for several top clubs during his playing career, including; Barcelona, Manchester United, Napoli, and Inter Milan.
