Official | Bruno Genesio replaces Paulo Fonseca as Lille head coach | OneFootball

Lille have officially announced that Bruno Genesio will replace AC Milan-bound Paulo Fonseca as head coach of Les Dogues. The Portuguese manager’s departure was made official minutes before Genesio had been announced as his replacement. Fonseca is expected to be appointed AC Milan manager shortly. The 51-year-old Fonseca’s tenure at Lille will be remembered fondly, given how he has improved players under his tutelage, such as former Manchester United midfielder Angel Gomes, center-forward Jonathan David or right-winger Eden Zhegrova.

“I would like to thank Paulo for the work carried out during the two seasons spent together, but also for the wonderful relationship established with him during these 24 months“, underlines Lille president Olivier Létang. “The journey was very beautiful professionally and humanly. I wish him great success with his future club.” The former Roma manager was out of contract after signing a two-year deal when he signed in 2022.

To replace Fonseca, Lille will rely on Bruno Genesio. The experienced manager has signed a two-year deal with Les Dogues. Genesio was a free agent after resigning from his position as Rennes head coach last season. The 57-year-old head coach will be tasked to build on Fonseca’s legacy. According to the club statement, Genesio was the only coach Létang had in mind to replace the departing Fonseca.

“Bruno has extensive experience in football, both in Ligue 1 and European competitions”, adds Létang. “He has achieved positive results with every team he has coached. His vision, his work methodology and his management completely correspond to what we want.” This summer, Lille are set to play the Champions League’s third qualifying round. Should they fail to qualify for the 36-team revamped tournament, they will play the Europa League.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval