Lyon appoint former World and European champion as the new coach

Laurent Blanc will work in his homeland again. After a four-year break and another two spent in Qatar, the trophy-winning strategist - before that a player - decided to sit on the bench again. He chose the struggling Olympique Lyonnais.

Cooperation with Peter Bosz did not go the way he wanted, so the Dutchman was fired after one point in five League 1 matches. It was expected that the famous club would make such a move much earlier, but despite not winning Europe last season, Bosch got a new chance. He didn’t use the second chance, and the agreement with Blanc was apparently reached earlier. Having missed out on Europe for the second time in three years, Lyon burst out of the blocks with 13 points from a possible 15 to fuel hopes of a return to the Champions League. But a four-match losing streak followed before Friday's unimpressive 1-1 draw at home to Toulouse proved the final straw.

Bosz sacked, Blanc is waiting for a call from Lyon

The 56-year-old Blanc, a World Cup winner and European champion with France had been without a club since leaving Qatar's Al Rayyan in February, and on Sunday evening, it was only made official that the contract was signed for two years, i.e. until June 30, 2024. The club said Blanc was chosen as the man to replace Bosz following talks with American businessman John Textor, who is set to officially complete his purchase of Lyon later this month.

Former seven times consecutive champions, Lyon will this year mark a decade since they last won a trophy. Last season's eighth-place finish was the team's worst since 1997. Blanc inherits a team that sits ninth with 14 points from 10 matches. His first game in charge will be against Rennes next Sunday. He won the Ligue 1 title in each of his three seasons as coach of PSG from 2013 to 2016. Blanc also led Bordeaux to the last of their six French titles in 2009.