Ligue 1: “I will return to coach OL”, despite his dismissal, Pierre Sage remains attached to Lyon

The page has been turned. But the story between Pierre Sage and Olympique Lyonnais may have a new chapter. In any case, that's what the coach who was ousted a month ago thinks, speaking in an interview with L'Equipe. "I know that one day I'll come back to coach OL," he said. For the moment, the 45-year-old coach is studying the different offers that are presented to him.

"I've had several offers, but I first needed to take stock of what I've just experienced," he said. "And if I have to follow up on the requests, it's to find something that suits me and that corresponds to what I've just experienced, precisely. That's why I've refused a lot of things recently. Now, it's obvious that I want to coach because I miss it."

After a successful interim, and a spectacular recovery of OL at the end of the 2023-2024 season, the man who had been in charge of the club's youth since 2019, with a break of a few months as assistant to Habib Beye at Red Star between 2022 and 2023, was unable to withstand his team's poor results at the start of 2025 or the rapid decisions of club owner John Textor .

On January 27, he was thus relieved of his duties in favor of Paulo Fonseca. The final details have been settled in recent days. Despite his rather brutal ouster, Pierre Sage does not say he is on bad terms with John Textor, greeting him when he meets him, and always remaining close to the club.

“I just needed to digest the thing. And to consider that for him there was a market opportunity that was not favorable to me. I understand it, I respect it, even if I don’t accept it,” explains Sage. “I didn’t need someone to explain the inexplicable to me. I just needed to spend some time with him to thank him for giving me this chance. That’s actually the last thing I said to him, when we shook hands before parting ways. It was important for me to come full circle humanly with him.”

"I want to continue to prove that I am capable of working at this level," he stressed, waiting for the right opportunity while keeping an eye on the club dear to his heart.