Thiago Motta among candidates for Lyon job if Fonseca leaves
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The story in brief
15-second readThiago Motta is among the candidates to replace Paulo Fonseca as Lyon head coach if Fonseca leaves, according to reports in France cited by Football Italia. Fonseca's potential departure is linked to an opportunity to take over at Sporting CP in his native Portugal. Lyon is currently third in Ligue 1 after nine matches.
The full picture
Thiago Motta is among the candidates to replace Paulo Fonseca as Lyon head coach if Fonseca leaves, according to reports in France cited by Football Italia. Fonseca's potential departure is linked to an opportunity to take over at Sporting CP in his native Portugal. Lyon is currently third in Ligue 1 after nine matches. Fonseca has reportedly requested to leave Lyon.
Lyon will need a replacement if Fonseca leaves, and Thiago Motta is among the potential candidates, according to l'Equipe as reported by Football Italia. Motta has been available since his contract with Juventus was formally terminated in June after he left the club in March 2025.
Motta's availability is a result of his departure from Juventus in March 2025, following a short tenure that began after an impressive season with Bologna, which ended with Champions League qualification. His contract termination in June made him fully available for new opportunities.
At a glance
- Reporting status
- Reported
- Original publisher
- Football Italia ↗
- Source published
- Clubs covered
- Juventus, Bologna, Lyon
Attributed publisher reporting. Kickjolly has not independently confirmed the claim.
Source context
Reports in France claim that former Juventus and Bologna head coach Thiago Motta is among the candidates to take over at Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais in the event that Paulo Fonseca departs in the near future. Despite sitting in third place in Ligue 1 after nine matches of the 2026-27 season, recent reports suggest that former Milan head coach Fonseca could leave Lyon in order to his native Portugal to take over from Rui Borges as head coach of Sporting CP instead. Fonseca has reportedly requested to leave Lyon according to recent reports from l’Equipe. If Fonseca does leave, Lyon will be left needing a replacement, and according to l’Equipe, Thiago Motta is among the list of potential replacements.
Source excerpt · Football Italia
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