Official | Carlos Vicens appointed Lyon manager

Carlos Vicens has been appointed as the successor to Paulo Fonseca at Olympique Lyonnais, the Ligue 1 club announced on Monday evening.

Fonseca left last week to join boyhood club Sporting CP. Lyon accepted a €5m offer from the Portuguese club, but it left them in the search for a successor. In the interim, it was Jorge Maciel, an assistant to Fonseca, who stepped up. In his two games, he earned a point against Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League and lost away to Stade Brestois in Ligue 1.

Thiago Motta threw his hat into the ring for the vacancy. Fans were keen on a return for Pierre Sage, who is on the brink of an exit from Crystal Palace. However, it was Vicens, fresh out of his job at SC Braga, who emerged as the frontrunner.

As expected, his appointment was made official on Monday. The Spaniard, who was previously part of Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff at Manchester City, has signed a one-and-a-half-year deal with Les Gones.

He will be accompanied by four assistants. Maciel will remain as part of Lyon’s backroom staff. Vicens will get the chance to work with his new squad and acclimatise over the international break before a match against Lille OSC on Saturday 21st November.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle