Scaloni extends contract to 2030 as Lens loses coach after 9-1 defeat

While successful coach Lionel Scaloni extends his contract as Argentina's national team coach until the 2030 World Cup, RC Lens, after a painful 9‑1 defeat to Como in the Champions League, has dismissed head coach Yannick Cahuzac and is now looking for a new leader to save the season.

Transfermarkt and Argentine successes

The transfer market in the Netherlands has been closed since Wednesday evening, September 2. The market in the foreign top leagues closed a day earlier. Clubs can still sign free agents.

Lionel Scaloni remains Argentina's national team coach. The Argentine Football Association reports that the 48-year-old manager has extended his contract through the upcoming 2030 World Cup. Scaloni succeeded Jorge Sampaoli in August 2018, who had to leave after the disappointing World Cup in Russia.

Under Scaloni's guidance, Argentina won the world title in Qatar 2022 by beating France. This year the Argentines reached the World Cup final again, but Spain proved too strong in July.

RC Lens in crisis

The French football club RC Lens has dismissed head coach Yannick Cahuzac. The club won the French Cup last season and finished second in Ligue 1, but this season it is performing far worse. The low point was the 9‑1 defeat to Como last week in the Champions League. The poor results have prompted Lens to remove Cahuzac, the club says in a statement.

Cahuzac lasted barely two months. He took over in September from the German Dino Toppmöller, who had to step down after just six games. Under Cahuzac, Lens won three of its nine matches and lost the other six.

Other coaching and transfer developments

Theo Janssen (45) has openly flirted in recent weeks with a return to Vitesse, but his future for now really lies in Groesbeek. The former international has broken open his contract again with De Treffers and extended it significantly. He also wants to obtain his highest coaching licence at the amateur club.

Napoli are looking for reinforcement in midfield. A potential departure of Kevin De Bruyne, who may be heading to PSV, certainly plays a part. Since André‑Frank Zambo Anguissa's contract also expires in June, they are scouting fresh blood for the midfield at the club from Naples.

Napoli would prefer to bring someone in during January; the following players are reportedly on their radar: Mamadou Coulibaly (AS Monaco, transfer fee of around €30 million), Darryl Bakola (Sassuolo, transfer fee of around €20 million) and Adem Zorgane. The 26-year-old Algerian extended his contract at Belgian cup winners Royale Union Saint‑Gilloise until the summer of 2031 at the end of October. In other words, any offer from Napoli will have to be substantial to take him away from the Brussels club.

Karim Benzema, Luuk de Jong and Jadon Sancho were mentioned in the transfer overview. The remarkable 'curse' of Matthijs de Ligt is eleven seasons with a new coach at the start of each season.

Michael Carrick had to leave the field at Manchester United, meaning De Ligt played only two matches under Carrick, who started at Manchester United in January. The 27-year-old defender made his return on 21 October in the away game at Como (4‑1 loss) and fell briefly last week against AS Roma (3‑2 win) in the Champions League. In the last four Premier League fixtures De Ligt remained on the bench, after being out of the rotation since November 2025 with a back injury.

Crystal Palace have dismissed head coach Pierre Sage, the English club announced on Thursday on its own website. The 47-year-old Frenchman must make way after a poor start to the season in the Premier League. The club sits last after ten rounds with 7 points and is 21st in the Europa League. Crystal Palace have indicated that three members of Sage's staff must also leave the club.

It is still unclear who will become the new head coach of the South London club. Since this season, Dutch international Quinten Timber has been under contract at Palace. Sage took over as head coach at Crystal Palace last summer, after leading RC Lens to second place in the French league the previous season. Earlier he worked at Olympique Lyon.

Danish coach Thomas Frank, who previously worked in London at Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur, is mentioned as Sage's successor at Selhurst Park. This is the second coaching dismissal in the Premier League this Thursday; earlier Michael Carrick was sacked at Manchester United. Also on 15 December 2024, two coaches were once dismissed on the same day in the Premier League.