Sources: Spirit coach Giráldez close to Lyonnes job

Washington Spirit caput manager Jonatan Giráldez is successful precocious discussions to instrumentality implicit arsenic caput manager of French powerhouse OL Lyonnes, aggregate sources confirmed to ESPN.

Both the Spirit and OL Lyonnes -- the eight-time women's champions of Europe who precocious rebranded from Olympique Lyonnais -- are owned by Michele Kang.

The Spirit did not instantly respond erstwhile contacted by ESPN for comment.

OL Lyonnes is expected to soon person a vacant caput manager position. Joe Montemurro, who took the occupation past season, volition permission to go the caput manager of the Australian women's nationalist team, sources confirmed to ESPN.

Kang owns the Washington Spirit, OL Lyonnes and England's London City Lionesses. She told ESPN precocious that she volition soon adhd a 4th nine to her increasing ownership umbrella. Kang has said connected respective occasions that she would not usage the multi-club exemplary to determination astir players.

"I'm not going to rob the champion players from 1 squad and springiness them to different team," she told ESPN recently. Adding, she wants to make "the No. 1 squad successful each country."

Giráldez took implicit arsenic caput manager of the Spirit past twelvemonth aft guiding Barcelona to a UEFA Champions League title. He arrived successful Washington past summertime and helped usher the Spirit to a second-place decorativeness successful the regular play and runners-up decorativeness successful the NWSL Championship.

Adrián González coached the Spirit connected an interim ground past outpouring and would beryllium a apt successor to Giráldez.

At Barcelona, Giráldez won league titles successful each of his 3 seasons arsenic caput manager and won UEFA Champions League titles successful 2023 and 2024. He and Barcelona finished 2nd successful 2022, losing the last to Lyon.