Thiago Motta among candidates for Lyon job if Fonseca leaves

TURIN, ITALY - MARCH 03: Thiago Motta, Head Coach of Juventus, looks on prior to the Serie A match between Juventus and Verona at Allianz Stadium on March 03, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

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. 

Report: Thiago Motta could replace Fonseca at Lyon

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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. 

Motta has been available since leaving Juventus in March of 2025, less than a year after he was appointed as Bianconeri head coach. He had been handed the job after an impressive season with Bologna, which ended with Champions League qualification at the end of the 2023-24 season. 

Though he left Juventus in March of 2025, Thiago Motta remained on the club’s payroll for more than a year afterwards, before seeing his contract formally terminated at the start of June this year. This means that he is fully available and does not need to terminate any other outstanding agreements if he is to take on a new job in the near future.