Deschamps too expensive for Lyon, who turn to Carlos Vicens to replace Fonseca

Didier Deschamps will not be the next manager of Olympique Lyonnais. With Paulo Fonseca set to leave the club to join Sporting Lisbon, OL’s finances make any approach to the former France national team coach impossible.

Yet the history between Deschamps and Lyon is not without attempted negotiations. Under Jean-Michel Aulas’ direction, the two parties came close to agreement on several occasions. “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,” the Basque coach had confided. Respect between the two men nonetheless remained intact: during Euro 2024, Aulas still praised on X “the greatest manager of modern football”.

This time, the question is not a sporting one but a financial one. Fonseca’s departure must be accompanied by a significant reduction in the technical staff’s wage bill, and Deschamps’ salary scale is incomparable to the current financial capacity of the Rhône club.

It is Carlos Vicens who is emerging as the most likely successor. The Spanish coach, recently sacked by Braga, would fit the financial profile sought by Lyon’s management, with a monthly salary estimated at around 100,000 euros.

Deschamps, meanwhile, remains a valued asset on the international stage. His name is circulating insistently at Manchester United, where disappointing results are weakening Michael Carrick’s position. Juventus Turin is another serious option: Bianconeri supporters dream of seeing him succeed Luciano Spalletti to revive a club in search of direction.