Since the ousting of Rudi Garcia in Naples, there is no longer any French coach in post in a major foreign championship.
It may have gone unnoticed, but Rudi Garcia was a unique case. The native of Nemours was the only French coach competing in a major foreign championship, in Europe, but that is now over. And the observation is terrible: there is no longer any French coach in place in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga. Expanding, there are none in the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Turkey or Scotland, and not in Saudi Arabia either, where clubs turn exclusively to foreign technicians.
To find a French coach working in a major first division club, you have to look to… Ligue 1, where French coaches are however in the minority. Eight are currently in place (Haise, Genesio, Gastien, Le Bris, Der Zakarian, Aristouy, Roy, Vieira) out of the 18 elite formations. A number too low according to Arsène Wenger. “I think the proportion is not right at the moment, it is a little too high in France,” explains the former Arsenal coach in L’Equipe. That there is a share of foreign coaches is normal because they bring new ideas. I myself have been a coach abroad. But now that there is reciprocity in the recognition of coaching diplomas in Europe, there is nothing to do to stem this trend. »
There remains Deschamps and Zidane…
The time when Arsène Wenger and Gérard Houllier managed major English clubs seems a long way off. Of course, we must not forget Zinedine Zidane, who won several Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, or Didier Deschamps, world champion with the French team in 2018. At the same time, Christophe Galtier still has a interesting rating, even if he had to join Qatar to find a position after PSG.
Despite everything, it must be noted that the French coach as a whole is not the profile most sought after by clubs and selections. There were not only two in place during the 2022 World Cup, Didier Deschamps and Hervé Renard.
