A call to Manchester
Lyon leaned on a heavyweight reference before hiring Carlos Vicens. At his unveiling on Tuesday, general manager Michael Gerlinger said he had spoken with Pep Guardiola, who was “very positive” about the Spaniard. Vicens, 43, has signed through June 2028 after Paulo Fonseca left for Sporting.
The link runs both ways. Vicens spent four years working alongside Guardiola, an experience he said shaped his mentality and his demand for constant improvement. He added that he likes attacking football, teams that press high and sides with personality.
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What Vicens said about the job
Arriving mid-season is a real challenge, he admitted, since he has to learn the squad while keeping the continuity of Lyon’s style. He plans to stay with a back four. At Braga he used three centre-backs, but he said he has worked with four defenders before and will keep that here.
Vicens also described himself as no expert on Ligue 1. He pointed to Braga’s Europa League meeting with Nice last season and to the French players who passed through City during his time there. His first match is against Lille, and he says he wants to be ready as soon as possible.
How the club got here
Sporting director Matthieu Louis-Jean said Vicens was at the top of the list and fits the playing principles Lyon want. The two sides met in Barcelona and talked through the project at length. Gerlinger added that Vicens had already been a strong option for summer 2027, so the club moved quickly once Fonseca asked to leave. Lyon were surprised by that request, he said, but accepted that forcing a coach to stay would hurt the mood in the squad.
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