Mercato: Lyon announces Paulo Fonseca's departure to Sporting CP

Fonseca departs mid-season after just one month; Sporting CP pays €5m compensation.

Paulo Fonseca has left Olympique Lyonnais to join Sporting CP, the club announced Wednesday. The Portuguese manager, who arrived in January 2025 to replace Pierre Sage, departed mid-season despite Lyon sitting third in Ligue 1 and competing in the Europa League. Fonseca informed the club he wished to leave, drawn to a club he is particularly attached to. Lyon's sporting director Mathieu Louis-Jean called it "a shock and a surprise."

Sporting CP will pay €5 million in compensation for the early termination of Fonseca's contract, which was set to run until June 2027. Lyon will also save his salary going forward. The club is now searching for a successor with a profile that fits the sporting project's principles and demands developed in recent months. Carlos Vicens is reportedly the favourite, though Thiago Motta's name has also emerged.

Jorge Maciel will take interim charge for Lyon's next two matches: Europa League away to Real Sociedad on Thursday and Ligue 1 at home to Brest on Sunday.