Sonia Bompastor: Chelsea appoint former Lyon coach to replace Emma Hayes - 'Will instantly command respect'
ByOli Gent
Published 29/05/2024 at 17:11 GMT+1
Chelsea have appointed Sonia Bompastor as their new head coach, with the three-time UEFA Women's Champions League winner taking over from the departing Emma Hayes, who is taking charge of the United States national team. Bompastor has been in charge of Lyon since April 2021, and won a league and European Cup double in her first full season, retaining the league title the following campaign.
New coach Hayes conducts first practice with USWNT ahead of Olympic Games
Video credit: SNTV
Chelsea have announced Lyon head coach Sonia Bompastor as their new manager to replace the departing Emma Hayes, who left to take charge of the United States.
Bompastor has signed a four-year contract with the Women's Super League champions.
The Frenchwoman has been Lyon manager for three years, taking over in April 2021, and was previously involved in the academy set-up.
The 43-year-old is a UEFA Women's Champions League winner as a player and a manager, winning the competition twice playing for Lyon in 2010/11 and 2011/12, leading the club to another triumph in 2022 as a coach, beating Barcelona 3-1 in the final in Turin.
Speaking about Bompastor's appointment, the Chelsea women's team general manager Paul Green said: “The sporting directors and I conducted a thorough and considered recruitment process to identify Emma’s successor.
"Sonia’s vision, coaching philosophy and winning mentality made her the outstanding candidate.
"She is a world-class coach with a proven track record of success on the biggest stages that will instantly command respect from the dressing room.”Â
Chelsea's co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley have called Bompastor "the ideal candidate to build on Emma’s legacy and take the team forward".
In a statement, they said: "She brings a wealth of experience from managing at the highest levels and winning trophies as a player and a coach.
"Her ethos and values align with Chelsea Football Club. We are all looking forward to having her on board.”Â
As well as her playing days at Lyon, Bompastor also spent time at Paris Saint-Germain, Montpellier, and Washington Freedom and won 156 caps for the French national side.
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Bompastor won a league and European Cup double in her first full season at the helm in Lyon - 2021/22 - winning 21 of 22 league games and drawing the other.
She retained the Division 1 Feminine title the following season, with 20 wins from 22, but Les Fenottes fell in the quarter-finals of the Champions League to Bompastor’s new employers Chelsea, who snuck through on penalties.
With her contract officially beginning on July 1, it has been announced that Bompastor will be accompanied by her assistants Camille Abily and Theo Rivrin - who have also made the move from Lyon.
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