Just two days after Lille has crowned Ligue 1 champions, Christophe Galtier declared his departure. Lille won the French title on Sunday, finishing one point ahead of Paris Saint-Germain. Lille Coach Galtier has agreed to leave the club after four years in charge, despite their popularity.
According to L’Equipe, he said: “I made my choice. After spending most of this morning listening to my president, Olivier Letang, I told him that I was leaving LOSC. Or that I was coming to an end with LOSC, I’m not sure what word to use. I also have a deep feeling that I’ve served my time here. For a coach, a four-year period is appropriate. So, yeah, it’s been just five months.”
“I just have a deep feeling that I’ve served my time here. For a coach, a four-year period is appropriate. So, yeah, it’s only been five months since I’ve been working with Olivier Letang every day, and five months isn’t a long time for a partnership. After four years here, I guess it’s time to leave this beautiful place, this amazing club,” she says.
He continued, “My choice is unrelated to the team’s final standing; if we had finished fourth or seventh, I would have made the same choice. I don’t want to go out on a high note. I’m leaving because I’ve decided it’s time to move on after four years. It was great spending eight and a half years at Saint-Etienne, including seven and a half at the helm. I’m leaving Lille with a fantastic result, but I’m in desperate search of something more. I don’t want to slip into a rut, into something predictable, as I Saint-Etienne at one point. Wear and tear from being in the same place all the time.”
Where is Galtier going next?
Galtier claims he has been contacted by three teams and has shown interest in taking over at Lyon, Nice, or Napoli. Galtier has mentioned that he plans to make his decision by the end of the week.
The 54-year-old, who was a defender with Lille from 1987 to 1990, took over as manager of the first team in December 2017 when they were facing relegation to Ligue 2. However, the team from Northern France avoided relegation by finishing 17th in the Premier League, just one point ahead of the relegation play-off spot.
The next season, however, they finished second to PSG and finished fourth in the 2019-20 season. Lille had been at the top of the table for most of the 2020-21 season, but it was not until the final game that they were crowned champions.
It is the first time since 2011 that they have won Ligue 1.
