Lens sack Yannick Cahuzac after two months and look for a third coach

Two months. That is all Yannick Cahuzac got. RC Lens (the northern French club from Artois) sacked their head coach on Tuesday 10 November, and the club is already hunting for its third coach of the season.

What happened?

The decision was taken by Lens's board, right after a third defeat in a row. The latest came against Marseille (1-2), four days after a 1-9 hammering at Como in the Champions League. A week earlier, Lens had also lost the Nord derby against Lille (0-1).

Those two results went down very badly with the club's fans. Lens now sit 11th in Ligue 1 (France's top flight) and have lost four of their last five games in all competitions.

The news was first revealed by L'Equipe and then confirmed by ICI Nord.

How did we get here?

Cahuzac, a Corsican and a former midfielder, was appointed on 15 September. He replaced Dino Toppmöller, who became the first Ligue 1 coach to lose his job this season.

That means Lens have changed coach twice in about two months. It is a sharp contrast with the club's exceptional 2025 season.

The timing has raised eyebrows. Consultants on the show "Rothen s'enflamme" agreed that the departure comes at the worst possible moment for a club that has just lived through a week with three defeats. Former defender Samuel Umtiti said he does not get the impression that everything is clear at the top of the club.

What's next?

Lens have not yet announced who will take over. According to L'Equipe, Pierre Sage could pick up the job, and he is described as the favourite to succeed Cahuzac, although the road to a deal is said to be long.

Whoever arrives will inherit a squad that is low on confidence and a club that needs to steady itself fast, both in Ligue 1 and in Europe.