He still had to come to terms with the betrayal he felt at FC Porto.
After seven seasons at the helm of the Portuguese Championship's leading side, Sergio Conceição has not jumped on offers made to him at the end of the season. The 49-year-old Portuguese coach only had one thing on his mind: saying goodbye to his favorite club. In order not to spoil anything from the party, he saw before his eyes his long-time deputy, Vitor Bruno, taking his place at the head of the Dragon, at the end of a maneuver well led by the new president of FC Porto, Andre. Villas-Boas, former Olympique Marseille coach.
But after a few days of absorption, the former resident of Nantes is once again ready to reclaim a throne worthy of his CV. Determined to find a successor to Jean-Louis Gasset before the resumption, Olympique Marseille had been eyeing him for several weeks, after an initial setback with LOSC coach Paulo Fonseca, who finally signed for Milan. Despite his hesitation, Om did not give up the idea of convincing him. On the contrary, it appears that discussions between the two parties have resumed, as the newspaper revealed the team End of this week.
Pablo Longoria was no doubt pleased that Roma's Lazio had finally set his sights on Marco Baroni. The latter is supposed to formalize his arrival in the “Eternal City” within the week, as explained by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on X. This latest news therefore leaves the way open for the Marseille club to attract Conceição. But perhaps not within the time frame President Longoria initially wanted.
Like the negotiations with Marcelo Gallardo in June 2023, he did not set a deadline for the Portuguese coach so as not to rush it. But the Gallardo episode ended in bitter failure, as the Argentine ended up sailing, forcing Homme to turn to Marcelino with the success we know.
Italian design
According to Laszlo Poloni – the Metz coach who was about to bid farewell to the Moselle club – “ Football design » called for by Conceiçao is in line with “ What OM likes to highlight “.” He is a coach who prefers attacking », insists the person who coached Standard de Liège in Belgium, when the Portuguese left the club as a player. Although he was never under him, Laszlo Poloni had already spoken to Conceição on the phone several times to talk about football. “ He was greatly inspired by the Italian game during his many years in the Italian league A: He is a demanding person and is not afraid to push his players to their limits », according to the Romanian coach.
Personality traits that resonate with the words of former Nantes goalkeeper, Remy Rieu. “ The coach brings us precision and professionalism that some players may lack », revealed to our colleagues from France Bleu. That won't hurt the Olympians after this season.
