Credit France for thinking big when it comes to replacing Corinne Diacre.
According to Lyon owner and French federation board member Jean-Michel Aulas, he approached Thierry Henry to lead the women’s national team at this summer’s World Cup.
Board members Aulas, Marc Keller, Aline Riera and Laura Georges have been tasked by the French federation to sound out potential candidates to replace Diacre, who was fired last week after a player revolt.
While that group has sought out numerous candidates, the Arsenal legend has taken himself out of the running.
In an interview with Le Figaro, Aulas said Henry “considered it,” but ultimately opted to remove himself from the running.
“I personally asked him the question, but the response was not positive,” said Aulas. “He was obviously very flattered that he was asked. We did it because we were told he might be interested. But it will not be Thierry Henry. I think he is moving on to other projects.”
Henry was most recently an assistant coach on Roberto Martínez’s Belgium staff, and has a prominent role as a studio pundit for CBS’s Champions League coverage. Henry’s experience as a head coach has been limited to a rocky spell at Monaco (where he lasted less than four months) and one season as the head coach of what was then known as the Montréal Impact. Henry stepped down from the MLS side in February 2021, citing a desire to be able to see his children in London, something he couldn’t do at the time due to Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
On Thursday, ESPN reported that Henry has his eyes set on the other side of the Atlantic, with the 45-year-old apparently hoping to land the U.S. men’s national team job.
Prominent names still in the mix
The French federation hardly had all of its eggs in the Henry basket. Le Figaro‘s report says that Jocelyn Gourvennec, the former manager of the men’s teams at Guingamp, Bordeaux, and Lille, has spoken to the board about his vision for the role.
Diacre’s former assistant Eric Blahic, Lyon boss Sonia Bompastor, Paris Saint-Germain manager Gérard Prêcheur, Saudi Arabia men’s head coach Hervé Renard, and Paris FC’s Sandrine Soubeyrand — whose 198 caps make her a record holder for France — have all been in consideration as well.
Reports hold that France would like to hire a new coach as soon as possible, which is not a massive surprise given how close the World Cup is. Les Bleues have just two pre-World Cup friendlies scheduled, both of which take place in mere weeks. They host Colombia on April 6, and Canada on April 11.
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