John Textor: “Returning to Europe should always be ambition of Lyon.” | OneFootball

Lyon owner John Textor was present at the unveiling of manager Fabio Grosso, and spoke of the club’s expectation for their former player now-turned coach. The following was transcribed by RMC Sport.

“Returning to Europe should always be the ambition of this club,” declared Textor, who oversaw the departure of Laurent Blanc from the club several weeks ago. “Everyone within this club views not being in Europe as a failure. Success for the coach lies in building step by step. The season is long, and we have the right person in Fabio, who will do this work incrementally.”

“What does progress look like? It’s step by step. We will assess it at the end of the season,” said the owner of Eagle Holdings, also owners of Crystal Palace, Botafogo, and Molenbeek. “There is an extra place in the Champions League, and I believe that returning to Europe should always be this club’s ambition. We’ve only played five matches, and we have the right coach.”

Laurent Blanc paid the price for a dismal start of the season with Les Gones, who languish in 16th place after five matches played. Lyon have drawn twice, and lost three games so far this season.

GFFN | George Boxall