Lyon appoint 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Grosso as manager after former Chelsea bosses Graham Potter and Frank Lampard were linked with the role at the Ligue 1 club
- Lyon have appointed Fabio Grosso as manager following the dismissal of Laurent Blanc
- Frank Lampard and Graham Potter had both been linked with the role
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Lyon have appointed former Inter Milan and Juventus full-back Fabio Grosso as manager after sacking Laurent Blanc earlier this month.
Blanc left the French team at the bottom of Ligue 1 after one point from the first four games.
When asked before his dismissal what the club should do to improve results, Blanc suggested they should ‘change the manager’.
Graham Potter was linked with the role but opted not to return to management just yet after a cleansing experience as Chelsea manager.
Fellow former Blues boss Frank Lampard was also on Lyon’s shortlist but was beaten out for the role by Grosso.
Fabio Grosso has been appointed as the new manager of Lyon, which is at the bottom of Ligue 1
Former Chelsea bosses Graham Potter (left) and Frank Lampard (right) have previously been linked with the role
The 45-year-old, who is best remembered for scoring the winning penalty for Italy in the 2006 World Cup final, retired as a player in 2012 after an illustrious playing career that saw him win Serie A titles with Inter and Juve.
He spent two years at Lyon and played a key role in the side that won the national double in 2008.
Grosso started his career as a manager in Juventus’ youth academy in 2013 and has since had mixed success as a senior boss in Serie B and Serie A.
He led Frosinone to the Italian second-tier title last season but left in the summer at the end of his contract.
The former left back now faces a real challenge at Lyon as he takes over a club in free fall.
Despite finishing seventh last season and reaching the semi-finals of the Coupe de France, Les Gones have conceded ten goals in just four games, losing twice 4-1.
Grosso’s reign starts on Sunday with a home match against Le Havre, who are 11th after a stable start to the season.
Grosso will be best remembered for his international career in which he scored the winning penalty in the 2006 World Cup final
His appointment comes after Laurent Blanc was sacked as manager following a poor start to the season
Lyon took one point from the first four games and has already been defeated 4-1 twice