Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca has tempered his long-held ambition to manage in the English Premier League, stating he prefers consistent winning and project building in France over a potentially less successful spell in England.
Fonseca, currently at Olympique Lyon, explicitly said he would rather be in France with a club aiming for top honors and more frequent victories than take a Premier League job where he might win only “one or two games out of four.” He made the comments in an interview with Portuguese newspaper Record.
The 52-year-old confirmed he has received “various approaches” from English clubs over the years. However, his previous dream of coaching in the Premier League is now less urgent because he feels “very good” at Lyon.
Fonseca aims to stay at Lyon for “several years” to build a strong team, finding “great pleasure” in starting projects “almost from scratch.” He cited his experience at Lille as a similar rewarding endeavor.
The Portuguese manager’s career includes stints at Lille in France, AS Roma in Italy, and Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. He prioritizes being in major leagues and acknowledges that while he misses fighting for titles as he did at Shakhtar, other aspects of his career are equally important.
Fonseca also suggested that the appreciation for his work is not “the fairest” in Portugal, reinforcing his preference for working abroad. His remarks were made on the sidelines of the Portugal Football Summit.