RC Lens: Dino Toppmöller leaves after staff dispute

RC Lens must find a new head coach after Dino Toppmöller ended his short spell in charge, with the split linked to a dispute over his assistant Nelson Morgado rather than the team’s results. Yannick Cahuzac is expected to take temporary control and could lead the side at Monaco on Friday.

Toppmöller arrived during the summer and left after only four Ligue 1 matches. Lens have lost two of their last three league games and drawn the other, but the coach had also overseen victories against Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophée des champions and Slavia Prague in the Champions League. The European win came away from home, with Lens prevailing 3-2.

The disagreement began when Morgado was removed from his role. He had reportedly created tensions with some French members of the technical staff by demanding greater commitment and intensity. Toppmöller viewed the decision as interference in an area he considered part of his responsibility, and discussions between the coach and the club ended with his departure. The change therefore came despite Lens beginning the season with a major domestic trophy and a European victory, leaving Cahuzac to manage the immediate transition.