“Franck (Haise) is the coach this year,” assured Lens general manager Arnaud Pouille on Monday, while the Blood and Gold coach left slight doubts about his future at the end of last season. “Franck is the coach this year, and the general manager of RC Lens. (…) It was important to report it and to stop these rumors which are circulating”, declared Arnaud Pouille at the opening of a press conference on the sidelines of the resumption of training for the Lensois workforce.
On the Lens bench since February 2020 and also general manager since October 2022, a great architect of the club’s successes over the past three seasons, Franck Haise had not firmly assured at the end of last season that he would stay at the club for the 2023 season. /2024. “I will give myself a few days to enjoy this beautiful moment. We have planned to meet with management next week. I didn’t say it would stop, but there may be demands. There are already,” he said after the 3-0 victory against Ajaccio on May 27, which sealed Lens’ 2nd place in Ligue 1 and its qualification for the group stages of the Champions League.
He had however assured, a few days later, that there was “no big concern to be had”, and recalled that he was under contract until 2027. “We have always had discussions with Arnaud, with President, always clear, always healthy. We had to have some at the end of the season so that we had a common vision of our performance, of our competitiveness, ”he flattened out on Monday.
The Lensois workforce resumed training on Monday, with the exception of the internationals who benefit from a few additional days of rest. Lens will play six friendlies in the coming weeks, including a clash on August 5 against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Ligue 1 season will begin for the Sang et or with a trip to Brest on the weekend of August 12 and 13.
