Just over one year after being brought back into the fold, Leonardo Jardim is on the outs again, being replaced by Spanish firebrand Robert Moreno.
After a somewhat uneven season, coach Jardim and his staff are sent packing again. The abrupt departure, cushioned by a reported €8 million payoff package, opens the door for Spaniard Robert Moreno to step in and shake things up for the Red and Whites.
Jardim was reappointed as Monaco’s coach last January, only three months after being fired and replaced with ill-fated Thierry Henry. He went on to have a disastrous start of the season, problematic with management after spending €135 million on fresh talent, before seemingly unifying his team and leading them to five wins out of six matches and pulling them back from the brink of relegation.
But a big loss against Lille, who Monaco roundly beat only a few days later in a 5-1 victory, led management to wonder if it was Jardim’s coaching or the players’ will that got them through.
Moreno, who was rather spectacularly sacked himself from the Spanish national team back in November, is known for a 4-4-2 line up, a new direction for the defensively-challenged Monaco team.
This is his first real foray as head coach, having only been in the top spot for the Spanish team due to personal problems suffered by the team’s coach, Luis Enrique, and only staying in the position for five months before the return of Enrique. After a dispute between the two men erupted over who should be top dog for the Euro 2020 Championships, Moreno was definitively let go, but soon came onto the radar of AS Monaco’s board.
The announcement came just a few days ago and is enthusiastically supported AS Monaco’s top brass. Oleg Petrov, Vice-President and General Director of the team said in a statement: “We are very pleased to announce the arrival of Robert Moreno. We have great faith in him and his ability to bring the team success. We welcome him to AS Monaco.”
Petrov diplomatically also praised his former head coach, saying, “On behalf of President Dmitry Rybolovlev, I would also like to thank Leonardo Jardim for all his work and success in recent years. Leonardo and his staff did their utmost to keep the club in Ligue 1 last season and then bring the team back to the place it deserves in our championship. We wish him good luck for the future.”
Moreno will officially take the helm next week ahead of the Coupe de France game against Reims and will see his first Ligue 1 match the following weekend against PSG.