Joe Montemurro intends to see out his Lyon contract while the Australian head coach insisted he wants to stay at the European giants “for as long as they want me” amid rumours regarding the CommBank Matildas vacancy.
Lyon head coach and A-Leagues great Montemurro – a two-time Ninja A-League champion with Melbourne City where he created history in 2015-16 after the team went through the entire women’s campaign without dropping a point – is reportedly the frontrunner to land the Australian gig which has been vacant since Tony Gustavsson’s exit following the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Ahead of Lyon’s blockbuster UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final tie against former club Arsenal, the 55-year-old Melbournian was asked about his future.
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“My intention is to see out my contract,” Montemurro told The Athletic. “I’m really happy here.
“I just wanted to be honest and clear. It’s normal the Australian Federation called, and this was a while back, but at no point was there any need for me to think otherwise than to be and stay at Lyon.
“I’m just really happy at Lyon and where we’re at. We’ve got a lot to achieve here and I hope to be part of it for as long as they want me.”
A Women’s League Cup the season prior was also added to the collection followed by consecutive runners-up medals and a finals appearance in the 2017-18 FA Women’s Cup.
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Montemurro, who also coached Melbourne Victory, boasted a 76% win rate during his Arsenal spell from the 2017-18 to the 2020-21 season in the Women’s Super League – the second-highest rate of any coach in that time (minimum five games).
Now former side Arsenal, boasting Matildas trio Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney-Cross as well as his former Aussie assistant Aaron D’Antino, stand in the way of Montemurro, Ellie Carpenter and Lyon reaching another Champions League decider.
