Guardiola's ex-assistant Carlos Vicens appointed Lyon coach

LYON: Spaniard Carlos Vicens has been appointed coach of French club Lyon on an 18-month deal, the Ligue 1 outfit announced on Monday.

The 43-year-old, a former assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, replaces Portuguese Paulo Fonseca who left for Sporting Lisbon.

Fonseca's assistant Jorge Maciel had stepped in on an interim basis guiding the club to a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace in the Europa League but losing Sunday's Ligue 1 trip to Brest 2-0.

Vicens played in the lower tiers of Spanish football as a semi-professional until the age of 27.

It was also at this level he began his coaching career in Spain in 2010, before moving to England in 2017 to join Manchester City.

There he rose through the ranks of the academy progressing from the U12s to the U18s with whom he won the FA Youth Cup.

In 2021, he joined Guardiola's first-team coaching staff, where he spent four years overseeing set-pieces.

In 2025, he was appointed head coach of Braga, marking his first experience as a manager at the highest level.

During his first season, he led Braga to a fourth-place finish in the Portuguese league and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Braga also reached the final of the Portuguese League Cup. Vicens was dismissed on Oct 20 following three defeats that left his team eighth in the league.

He arrives in Lyon with four assistants and is under contract until June 30, 2028. He will oversee his first training session on Tuesday.

His first match with Lyon will be against Lille on Nov 21, following the international break.

Lyon are currently fifth in Ligue 1, five points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain having won five of their 10 matches so far this campaign.--AFP