BRUNO GENESIO HAS announced he will leave his role as Lyon head coach at the end of the season.
The 52-year-old confirmed at a news conference today that he will not renew his contract, which expires in June.
“For some time, I’ve been facing — we’ve been facing — a negative climate, which can be a drag on the players and the club,” he said. “I had a very long conversation this morning with my president, in order to tell him that I will not continue next year.
“I informed my players this morning. I’m counting on everyone to keep together because we need to get the club into the Champions League. A fair few players have supported me. It’s in the interest of the club that I have taken this decision, in agreement with my president.”
The news comes following weeks of speculation over Genesio’s future, with Jose Mourinho and Laurent Blanc each linked with the Lyon job.
Speaking after Lyon’s Coupe de France semi-final defeat to Rennes, president Jean-Michel Aulas claimed he would have rewarded Genesio with a new two-year deal had he won the trophy.
Aulas added that “the extension is not completely out of the question but will depend on results. He [Genesio] might also want to listen to other offers.”
Genesio said today: “I think, in hindsight, even if we had got to the final of the Coupe de France, had won it and then finished second, the climate around me would not have changed. It’s something bad for the good of the club.”
It has been reported in France that tensions have been running high within the squad amid the uncertainty around Genesio’s future, with suggestions of in-fighting among the players.
Mourinho has spoken of his desire to coach a team in Ligue 1, while Blanc has been without a club since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2016. However, Lyon released a statement on Monday insisting they have not made contact with any potential candidate.
“The entire club is focused on the end of the season with the single goal of putting Bruno Genesio and his players in the best condition to qualify for the Champions League,” they said.
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