Laurent Blanc, announced as new OL coach until 2024

After the disappointing results obtained during this start of the season, which remain well below the expectations and objectives set, Olympique Lyonnais informs that Peter Bosz, head coach, Rob Maas, assistant coach, and Terry Peters, fitness coach will leave the club.

An in-house meeting was conducted in order to find the necessary levers to allow the team to get back on solid ground in order to be in line with OL’s ambitions this season. After meeting with John Textor, Olympique Lyonnais announced that it had made the decision to appoint Laurent Blanc as the main coach of the professional team for two seasons, until June 30th 2024.

This decision was made unanimously by the entire institution to give Olympique Lyonnais a very ambitious project for the future, both on the domestic and continental stage. 

Former French international (97 appearances), 1998 World Champion and 2000 European Champion, Laurent Blanc has had a very successful career  that included more than 800 professional matches. Midfielder then central defender, the player trained in Montpellier and won the double Coupe - French Championship with AJ Auxerre in 1996, the Coupe des Coupes with FC Barcelona in 1997 and the English Championship with Manchester United in 2003. A year in which he will put an end to his career after 20 years at the highest level and through 4 major European championships (France, Italy, England, Spain).

With a solid background as a player, Laurent Blanc then passed his coaching degrees and began his career at the Girondins de Bordeaux during the 2007/2008 season. He immediately distinguished himself by finishing 2nd in the French championship and winning the UNFP trophy for best L1 coach. The season after that was very good with Bordeaux for the 56-year-old manager, who won the Champions trophy against OL and then the Coupe de la Ligue and the title of French champion after a very successful 2008/2009 season, Thus dethroning Olympique Lyonnais with its seven consecutive L1 titles obtained between 2002 and 2008.

Appointed coach of the French Team in 2010, Laurent Blanc  then remained 2 years as coach of Les Bleus and qualified for the Euro 2012. Second in Group D alongside England, Ukraine and Sweden, France was  eliminated in the quarter-final by Spain, who won the competition.

In the summer of 2013, the best scorer in Montpellier’s history joined Paris Saint-Germain. He was crowned champion of France in his first season and elected best coach of L1 twice, in 2015 and 2016 where he won the first two quadruplets in the history of French football. Laurent Blanc will leave PSG in 2017 with 11 trophies to his credit before having a final experience with the Al Rayyan Qatari club between 2020 and 2022.

Appointed coach of Olympique Lyonnais as of this Monday, October 10, 2022, Laurent Blanc will be accompanied by Franck Passi as assistant coach and Philippe Lambert, as the fitness coach. The three men will work in collaboration with the staff already in place.

The entire professional group with the confidence of the Board of Directors, supported by the fan groups and the entire OL family, will have the sole objective at the heart of this very difficult period to reposition the club at the highest French level and return to the European Cup next season.

Laurent Blanc becomes the 16th coach of Olympique Lyonnais since 1989 and the club’s rise among the elite.