- Blanc sacked with Lyon bottom of Ligue 1
- One point from four games at the start of the season
- Potter and Gattuso linked with job
Lyon’s manager, Laurent Blanc, has been dismissed from his position with the team languishing at the bottom of the Ligue 1 standings. The decision to part ways with Blanc came after a demoralising 4-1 home defeat against his former club, Paris St-Germain. Lyon officially stated that Blanc’s departure was the result of a “mutual agreement.”
Lyon’s start to the season had been abysmal, managing just one point from their first four games, accompanied by the worst goal difference in Ligue 1. In the interim, the team’s technical director, Jean-Francois Vulliez, responsible for overseeing Lyon’s prestigious academy, will take charge of the first team.
Blanc, aged 57, took up the Lyon managerial role in October, but the team finished last season in seventh place, falling short of European qualification. His managerial track record had seen a lacklustre performance, with an average of 1.53 points per game—the poorest record of any permanent Lyon manager in the past 25 years, excluding Sylvinho, who managed only nine league matches.
Before his stint at Lyon, Blanc had previously clinched three Ligue 1 titles managing PSG and another during his tenure with Bordeaux. Reports surfaced that former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter, aged 48, had declined the Lyon job just last week.
Another name linked strongly to the vacant position is Gennaro Gattuso, aged 45, who departed from his previous role as Valencia’s manager in January.
During Laurent Blanc’s tenure, Lyon underwent a significant change with American businessman John Textor, who also holds shares in Crystal Palace, completing a takeover of the club. This ownership shift adds an element of transformation and potential growth to the club’s future.
Betting Implications
Despite their disastrous start to the season, the bookmakers see Lyon as relegation possibles rather than probables. 10 other teams are thought to have more chance of demotion than Les Gones. At the time of writing, bet365 have them priced at 33/1 to go down.
In fact many bookies are tipping them to make a good recovery. They are priced at 4/1 to make the top four, 7/4 to make the six and 7/20 to make the top 10 with both Unibet and BetUK at the time of writing.
Bettors need to monitor Lyon’s performance following Blanc’s exit and will need to see how the club’s next permanent manager affects the teams performance.
Check out the best Ligue 1 betting sites and the best football betting sites at Betting.com.
