Paulo Fonseca joins Lyon, Habib Beye appointed at Rennes

The last 24 hours has seen some major changes to two Ligue 1 McDonald's clubs, as Lyon announce Paulo Fonseca as their new head coach, and Rennes appoint Habib Beye to replace Jorge Sampaoli.

After Pierre Sage's departure, Olympique Lyonnais have appointed Paulo Fonseca as their new manager. The Portuguese tactician returns to Ligue 1 McDonald's, where he had three impressive years at LOSC Lille.

The 51-year-old has had coaching stints at 1º Dezembro, Odivelas, Pinhalnovense, Aves, and Paços Ferreira, but in 2013, Fonseca received his first major job, managing FC Porto.

During his lone season with Porto, the Lyon manager won the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. Afterward, Fonseca left Porto to return to Paços Ferreira, who he managed for the 2014-15 season.

Following his second stint with Paços Ferreira, Fonseca went to Braga, where he won the Taça de Portugal during the 2015-16 season. After several coaching stints in Portugal, Fonseca went abroad to Shakhtar Donetsk.

With the Ukrainian club, Fonseca won three Ukrainian Premier League titles, three Ukrainian Cup trophies, and one Ukrainian Super Cup. He also won the Ukrainian Premier League Best Coach for the 2016-17 season.

After four years in Ukraine, Fonseca went to AS Roma, who he managed from 2019 to 2021. He guided the team to a fifth-place finish in Serie A during his first season and reached the UEFA Europa League semi-finals the following year.

Paulo Fonseca's tenure at LOSC Lille and return to Ligue 1 

Fonseca got his first experience in French football when he took over at Lille in 2022. During his two seasons in charge, the Portuguese manager led Les Dogues to back-to-back top-five finishes in Ligue 1, a UEFA Europa Conference League quarterfinal run in 2024, and secured a spot in this season's UEFA Champions League qualifying phase.

He left last summer to become AC Milan's manager after two impressive seasons at Lille. Fonseca parted ways with the Serie A club in December 2024 and has now taken charge of OL, who secured automatic qualification for the next phase of the UEFA Europa League and currently sit sixth in Ligue 1 McDonald's with 30 points.

"The decision to appoint Paulo Fonseca was taken unanimously by owner John Textor and the entire sporting management team, as part of a drive to restore Olympique Lyonnais' ambition on both the domestic and European stage," said the club in an official commiqué.

Stade Rennais announce Habib Beye as manager

Fonseca isn’t the only manager taking a job at a Ligue 1 McDonald's club, as Stade Rennais have appointed Habib Beye as their new head coach. Beye enjoyed a playing career spanning about 15 years, featuring for clubs like RC Strasbourg Alsace, Olympique Marseille, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Doncaster Rovers.

Beye transitioned into coaching in 2021, starting as an assistant at Red Star while working toward his Professional Football Coach Diploma, which he earned in 2022. He was quickly promoted to head coach, helping the club stay in the National league and shaping its sporting project over the next two seasons, working with Pierre Sage (who would go on to coach Olympique Lyonnais in 2023). In 2024, he led Red Star to the National title and promotion to Ligue 2, earning the league’s Coach of the Year award.

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