Pierre Sage ‘hopes’ for Lyon future as no sign of contract extension

On matchday 14, Olympique Lyonnais fell 3-0 to Olympique de Marseille for their 9th loss of the season. The club were in last place and were onto their third manager before Christmas. 

It felt as if Lyon had reached their nadir and that there was no way for them to climb out of the mess they had found themselves in. Pierre Sage had come in only as an interim manager and the suspicions were that the winter break would see Lyon find someone more permanent for the role. 

Names like Jorge Sampaoli had begun to be talked about as the club looked to find the right person to right their ship. That person it turned out was already at the club. Following the defeat to Marseille, Lyon under Sage went on to win their next three to end the year. 

His role was made permanent in January at least until the end of the season. Since then the club have been steered away from the beckoning chaos and ahead of this weekend are perched just outside the top half of the table. 

The turnaround has been nothing short of miraculous for Lyon, and yet as L’Équipe reports there have been no signs from either manager or club of an extension to their deal. The appointment of David Friio as a sporting director in December could eventually suggest a bit of friction, as his vision of how football should be played might not line up with that of a manager he did not appoint. 

However, there remain a few positive signs that Sage will continue in the role beyond his current remit. Lyon are registering their manager for the Professional Football Coaching Certificate (BEPF). Whilst, Sage himself seemed to suggest that once the threat of relegation had been removed then there would be a more concrete future for him to talk about. 

“ If safety is achieved, there