Pierre Sage took Lens to new heights. His replacement left after six games

Lens finished second in Ligue 1 last season and won the Coupe de France. Building on that success is proving tricky

By Get French Football News

It was under cover of darkness that Yannick Cahuzac took his place in the Lens dugout at the Stade Louis II on Friday night. The lights dimmed as the players made their entrance and Cahuzac, who had been named interim manager just three days earlier, sat alone, leaning forward on a seat that Dino Toppmöller would have occupied if not for a dramatic turn of events last week.

Cahuzac’s appointment, much like his entrance in Monaco, had a stealthy quality, as if he had always been there and the switching of the lights was mere confirmation of his presence. Cahuzac left Lorient, where he had been Olivier Pantaloni’s assistant, at the end of last season to return to Lens, where he had finished his playing career before working as Franck Haise’s assistant in the 2022–23 campaign.