OL contacted Paulo Fonseca, Sage in danger

The management of Olympique Lyonnais spoke with Paulo Fonseca with a view to succeeding Pierre Sage after having already surveyed him several months ago. The Portuguese could replace the current coach of the Rhone club due to the team's recent poor performances and a weakened position.

Three games without a victory and the ax is getting closer for Pierre Sage. After having already initiated contacts with Paulo Fonseca several months ago, OL have reactivated the track leading to the Portuguese technician as explained in the Italian press and confirmed by RMC Sport. John Textor has picked up the temperature recently with the one who still has good ratings in France.

Former coach of Lille, and short-lived coach of AC Milan (July-December 2024), the Lusitanian had already been surveyed by John Textor in recent months. But the American owner of the Rhone club did not push the discussions further due to the team's good results at the time. Still according to information from RMC Sport, no agreement has yet been reached between Paulo Fonseca and the Rhone management who are continuing their negotiations.

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Sage in danger after a complicated start to 2025

If the good results at the start of the season had allowed him to keep his place despite the great anger of John Textor following the defeat against Besiktas (0-1), on October 24, Pierre Sage now finds himself in danger. The poor results of 2025 (one victory in four games) and a provisional sixth place in Ligue 1, opened the door to his ouster and the arrival of Paulo Fonseca.

The elimination that looked like a “shame” against Bourgoin in the Coupe de France and the two clashes against Brest (1-2) and Toulouse (0-0) sowed confusion over the future of Pierre Sage at the head of Les Gones. Arrived for a successful interim in November 2023 then confirmed in January 2024, the coach risks paying the high price for the poor results of recent weeks.

It remains to be seen whether the good performance of the partners of Rayan Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette in the Europa League will be enough to save their coach's head. Provisional fourth after six days, OL travel to Istanbul on Thursday to challenge Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahçe. A new defeat would further weaken Pierre Sage's situation in Lyon. A victory, while failing to guarantee his future at the club, would allow the technician to ensure qualification for the round of 16.