Forget the days of Wenger and Houllier – there is a worrying lack of French coaches in Europe’s elite leagues these days
Where have all the coaches gone? French sports media address the theme on a regular basis and with good reason: the country’s football managers are no longer wanted abroad. The days when Arsène Wenger and Gérard Houllier opened the door for Jean Tigana, Rémi Garde, Claude Puel and others to coach in England are long gone. In the 2000s and 2010s, French managers could also find work in La Liga and Serie A, as Philippe Montanier did at Real Sociedad and Rudi Garcia at Roma and Napoli – leaving aside Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps, who could not be really considered expatriates at Real Madrid and Juventus.
This is no longer the case and takes particular significance now that Deschamps, whose France side face Croatia in a Nations League quarter-final on Thursday and Sunday, has entered the final straight of his 14-year association with Les Bleus and confirmed he will leave his position at the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup. Who could succeed him?
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