Olympique Lyon is at the bottom of Ligue 1, and coach Laurent Blanc is being held responsible for it. The Frenchman has been fired, as reported by L'Équipe and RMC Sport.
Lyon is experiencing a dramatic start to the season with just one point from four matches. In fact, the club has never started a new year so poorly. Lyon is at the bottom of the league table for the first time since 1995.
Blanc had been under pressure at Lyon for some time. Due to financial constraints, the club couldn't do much in the transfer market, which didn't sit well with the Frenchman. "I'm not responsible for everything," he referred to the financial difficulties. "Of course, developing players is part of the project, but if you look at when Lyon won titles, it wasn't the young players who made it happen. They had a role, but they were surrounded by great players. The fact that we can't sign players weighs heavily on us."
Blanc has never been without controversy at the club and is now leaving his position. According to both L'Équipe and RMC, he has been dismissed, and his departure is expected to be announced soon. He had a contract until the end of this season, which extended to 2024. Assistant coach Jean-François Vulliez will temporarily take over until Lyon finds a replacement for Blanc.
It's not yet known who will succeed Blanc, but L'Équipe mentions the name of Gennaro Gattuso. According to the French sports newspaper, the Italian is one of the candidates.
