- Lyon have appointed Fabio Grosso as manager after sacking Laurent Blanc
- Frank Lampard and Graham Potter had both been linked with the role
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’
Lyon have appointed former Inter Milan and Juventus fullback Fabio Grosso as manager after sacking Laurent Blanc earlier this month.
Blanc departed the French side bottom of Ligue 1 after one point from their opening four games.
When asked before his sacking what the club should do to improve results, Blanc suggested they should ‘change the manager’.
Graham Potter was linked with the role but chose not to return to management yet after a chastening experience as Chelsea manager.
Fellow former Blues boss Frank Lampard had also been named on Lyon’s shortlist, but has been beaten to the role by Grosso.
Fabio Grosso has been appointed as the new manager of Lyon, who are bottom of Ligue 1
Former Chelsea bosses Graham Potter (left) and Frank Lampard (right) had previously been linked with the role
The 45-year-old, who is best remembered for scoring the winning penalty for Italy in the 2006 World Cup final, retired as a player in 2012 after an illustrious playing career that saw him win Serie A titles with Inter and Juve.
He spent two years at Lyon and was a key cog in the side that won the domestic double in 2008.
Grosso began his managerial career in the Juventus youth set-up in 2013 and has since enjoyed mixed success as a senior boss in Serie B and Serie A.
He led Frosinone to the Italian second tier title last season but left at the end of his contract over the summer.
The former left back now faces a real challenge at Lyon as he takes over a club in freefall.
Despite finishing seventh last season and reaching the Coupe de France semi finals, Les Gones have already conceded 10 goals in just four games and lost 4-1 twice.
Grosso’s reign will begin with a home game against Le Havre, who sit 11th after a steady start to the season, on Sunday.
Grosso will be best remembered for an international career that saw him score the winning penalty in the 2006 World Cup final
His appointment comes after Laurent Blanc was sacked as manager following a poor start to the season
Lyon have taken one point from their opening four games and have been beaten 4-1 twice already