OFFICIAL: Sonia Bompastor leaves Lyon to become Chelsea’s next manager

Sonia Bompastor has officially left Olympique Lyonnais after three seasons in charge of the club to join Chelsea FC as their new manager.

Bompastor became the first woman to win both the Champions League as a player and as a manager when she guided Lyon to their eighth European title in the 2021/22 season. She continued Lyon’s dominance in the French game winning the title in each of her three seasons.

The last coming in a new format where her Lyon side had to defeat Paris Saint-Germain in a playoff final. Despite this victory in her final campaign with Les Fenottes, her time would end on a certain sour note as the club were unable to win a record-breaking ninth Champions League title last weekend.

A tense 2-0 defeat to reigning champions Barcelona would be the final chapter in Bompastor’s Lyon journey before she took the next step in her career. The manager will now take the daunting task of replacing club legend Emma Hayes as the Chelsea head coach, with the London club hoping that Bompastor can turn their dream of a maiden European title into a reality.

On her next step, Bompastor was clear, “I hope to live up to Emma’s legacy and continue the work that has been done in recent years. Let the adventure begin.”

GFFN | Nick Hartland