Lyon named Spanish coach Carlos Vicens, 43, as head coach on Monday, and he gave his first news conference on Tuesday. He takes over a side that is fifth in Ligue 1 on 17 points, with a trip to second-placed Lille on 21 November after the international break.
Contract and staff
The club says Vicens signed until June 2028. Sporting director Matthieu Louis-Jean added on Tuesday that the deal runs for a year and a half with an option for one more year, and according to Maxifoot that extension to June 2029 depends on European qualification. L'Équipe had reported a contract to 2029 with two seasons conditional on a European place, as relayed by Foot Mercato, so the club's version is shorter. He brings four assistants: Mario Enguidanos as first assistant, Lander Iza Garcia for performance, and Jordi Lie Fernandez and Ramiro Marin. Jorge Maciel, who ran the team for two matches after previous Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca left for Portugal's Sporting CP, stays on as an assistant, and Adrien Tarascon keeps his role in individual player development.
From Guardiola's staff to Braga
The club's statement says Vicens, who comes from Mallorca, joined Manchester City in 2017, coached the Academy's under-18s and moved to Pep Guardiola's first-team staff in 2021 for four seasons. He took charge of Braga in the summer of 2025 and, according to Lyon, finished fourth, reached the League Cup final and the Europa League semi-final, a first for a Portuguese club in twelve years. Braga sacked him on 20 October. Lyon managing director Michael Gerlinger said on Tuesday that he consulted Guardiola before going further. “He told me about his mindset.” He added: “He advised me to move forward and talk to Carlos.” Louis-Jean said Vicens was “at the top of our list”.
What he wants
Vicens said the squad is used to a style built on dominating matches. “It's a team that always intends to dominate matches and we want to continue down that road,” he told the club's media, according to Maxifoot, which says that continuity with Fonseca was one of Louis-Jean's criteria. Football365 quotes him adding that the football on the pitch must make supporters “happy and proud”.
What the table says
Our table shows Lyon on 17 points from ten games, with five wins, two draws and three defeats, 15 goals scored and nine conceded. They are level on points with Nice and ahead on goal difference, six points behind leaders PSG (23) and four behind Lille (21). Maciel's last game in charge was a 2-0 defeat at Brest on Sunday, after a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
