Deschamps linked with Lyon as Fonseca could leave mid-season

Free since the 2026 World Cup and on an acknowledged sabbatical, Didier Deschamps has found himself in Olympique Lyonnais’s sights, as the future of Paulo Fonseca on the Groupama Stadium bench appears uncertain. The Portuguese manager is said to have accepted a return to Sporting Portugal, his beloved club, according to reports circulating in recent days.

The Deschamps-to-Lyon hypothesis is not new. The 58-year-old Basque coach himself mentioned it in 2018: “Jean-Michel Aulas could have had me three, four times and it didn’t happen. Twice, I wasn’t available. The third time, I was and he didn’t want to.” A fourth attempt could therefore emerge, this time at the initiative of Matthieu Louis-Jean, the club’s current sporting director.

Louis-Jean’s profile adds an anecdote to the file: the former right-back, who spent seven years at Nottingham Forest, directly faced Deschamps in 2000 when the future France manager was playing for Chelsea. A field connection that could facilitate initial contact, provided Fonseca confirms his departure.

Deschamps remains sought after well beyond French borders. His name has been circulating for several days around Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus, three European powerhouses in search of a top-tier manager. The 1998 World Cup winner as a player and 2018 World Cup winner as manager enjoys an international standing that complicates any recruitment attempt in Ligue 1.

On Lyon’s side, players have so far shown their support for Fonseca following the victory against Angers (2-0) on Sunday. But if the Portuguese manager were to confirm his departure, L’Équipe names Thiago Motta as the first name being studied to succeed him, even before the Deschamps option is officially activated.