2023-05-11 08:58:01
Valérien Ismaël will only have been away from the benches for a little over six months. After breaking his contract by mutual agreement with the Turkish club Besiktas, the Frenchman was appointed this Wednesday coach of Watford, recent 11th in the Championship. This is a return to England for the former Strasbourg and Lens player since he had already worked for Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion, already in the English second division.
Previously, the 47-year-old from Strasbourg had started his coaching career in Germany, where he had hung up his football boots. After making his mark in the youth teams of Hanover and Wolfsburg, he took over the reins of the Wolfsburg first team in October 2016. There followed a brief stint in Greece, at Apollon Smyrnis, and a season in Austria, at LASK , before returning to England.
As a player, the former defender knew six clubs. Trained in Strasbourg, it was in his city that he started before joining Crystal Palace. Back in France, he alternated between RC Lens and his training club before leaving for Germany, first to Werder Bremen then to Bayern Munich. He will finally end his fifteen-year career in Hanover. Despite two league and cup doubles in Germany, he will never manage to find a place in the France team, which he has only known in the youth team.
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