Pep Guardiola's view became part of the case for Lyon before the club moved for Carlos Vicens. Before recruiting him, Olympique Lyonnais reportedly called Guardiola for his opinion after Paulo Fonseca left for Sporting Portugal, and the answer they got helped frame Vicens as the right kind of appointment.
Guardiola's endorsement
Speaking to So Foot in translated comments from French, Guardiola said: "He gave me a positive speech. He told me about his mindset. He is a very good person and he advised me to move forward and talk with Carlos." That is as direct as it gets without pretending Guardiola made the decision himself.
Vicens had been part of Guardiola's staff from 2021 to 2025, so the recommendation came from someone who knew his work closely. Matthieu Louis-Jean also said Vicens had four years at City alongside Guardiola and one year at the highest level with Braga, which gives Lyon a coaching background that matches the club's own line of thinking.
Lyon's hiring logic
Louis-Jean said Lyon wanted "a young ambitious coach, who was hungry" and one who could "develop players individually and especially young players". That is the profile they were chasing, and it fits the club's recent need for a reset.
Lyon have taken one win, one draw and three defeats from their last five matches. They have scored three goals in that run and conceded eight, which leaves Vicens arriving with plenty to sort out on both sides of the ball.
The immediate point is not that Guardiola chose Lyon's coach for them. It is that his approval helped validate a hire built around development, youth and a clear playing project, and Lyon now have to turn that logic into results quickly.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
