‘I know one day I will return to coach Lyon’ – Pierre Sage envisions future with former club

Despite being sacked from Olympique Lyonnais last month, Pierre Sage has revealed in a wide-ranging interview with L’Équipe that he still envisions a future at the club. 

He told the French outlet, “My home is in Lyon and I plan to stay there. It’s my city and if I leave to work elsewhere I will always return between jobs. I will never sell the house I am buying here for a good reason: I know one day I will return to coach in Lyon.” 

Sage became a surprise hit last season when he was promoted from his role as the manager of Lyon’s academy to the interim head coach after Fabio Grosso was sacked midway through the campaign with the club sat rooted to the bottom of the table. 

At first, his position was purely temporary, but an immediate impressive turnaround convinced Lyon to provide Sage with a permanent contract. Under Sage, Lyon shot from relegation contenders to qualifying for Europe. He also delivered a cup run that saw Les Gones reach the Coupe de France final where they were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain. 

Surprise success and surprise sacking for Pierre Sage

Results had been generally good this season and Lyon were fifth in the table and into the knockout rounds of the Europa League when he was dismissed from the role. However, a dip in recent results saw the club act swiftly and replace him with former AC Milan and Lille OSC head coach Paulo Fonseca. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland