From Portugal to France via Ukraine and Italy, Paulo Fonseca has traveled across Europe to hone his footballing identity, but the message has always been the same: his team is here to entertain. Masu.
On Thursday, the 51-year-old will lead a young Lille side to England, where he almost ended up three years ago. Before negotiations with Tottenham They were defeated and now face Aston Villa in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
After success in Portugal, three consecutive doubles against Shakhtar Donetsk and “improving a lot” in Roma, the Portuguese manager has spent the past two seasons signing his best asset after winning the Ligue 1 title in 2021. He has rebuilt the Lille team that had been stripped of their rights.
France's most entertaining side are once again chasing the Champions League and have no intention of backing down against Villa, despite Fonseca's respect for Unai Emery.
“I love this game,” Fonseca told BBC Sport. “For me, this is a great passion and as a coach I have a great obligation to create a good spectacle for people.
“It's not just about winning, it's about how we win. This process is very important. We want to dominate the game, we want to play an attacking game, we want to react quickly when we lose the ball, we want to press.” Retrieve the ball high.
“It doesn't matter who the opponent is. We want to have the courage to be ourselves and have a strong identity in every moment of the game.”
This was not achieved at the expense of a solid defense. They have kept 21 clean sheets this season, but it takes courage to do so.
“It takes courage to play for my team and to be an active participant in our games,” Fonseca says.
“I don't think the players will develop by running just to try to get the ball back. I believe the players will show their quality when they have the ball and will be involved a lot in the game.”
Lille operates on a tight budget, but has a high strike rate when it comes to recruitment and academy graduates, who are often sold for a healthy profit.
Since winning the title, Sven Botman, Mike Manninan, Renato Sanchez and Amadou Onana have all left, before Gabriel and Nicolas Pepe left for Arsenal, Rafael Leao joined AC Milan and Victor Osimhen left. left for Naples.
Last summer, midfielder Carlos Baleva joined Brighton on the back of a breakthrough season in northern France, while forward Timothy Weah moved to Juventus.
After finishing 10th following the title, Fonseca was called up to build a young team that supported his philosophy.
“What appealed to me about this project was the possibility of starting from scratch and building a new team with young players on a small budget,” he explains.
“We started again with new players, young players and a plan to build a new way of playing.”
Fonseca has a talent for bringing out young talent. He did so alongside Pacos de Ferreira's Diogo Jota and Shakhtar's Mykhailo Mudryk, unearthing a new gem from Lille's outstanding academy in 18-year-old central defender Lenny Yolo.
“For me, the age of the players doesn't matter. They have quality,” Fonseca said. He also gave 16-year-old Ayyoub Bouadi his debut this season. “There is no possibility of acquiring very expensive players here, so we will find ways to develop young players.
“I believe next year Lenny will be at one of the best clubs in Europe. He started here with us at the age of 16. He is very ambitious, but very disciplined.
“He has grown a lot, is very mature and is a player of great quality. He is very focused and wants to learn every day. He is one of the best central defenders in modern football. There is no doubt that it will become a world.
“You have players like Lenny, Ayyoub and Carlos Baleva, whose quality, bravery and courage are immediately visible. Intelligence is important.”
Another player who started his career at the club is English midfielder Angel Gomez, who joined from Manchester United in 2020. Fonseca regrets that the 23-year-old is unlikely to be able to show his talent at Villa Park due to injury.
“Angel is probably the smartest player on my team,” he says. “He understands everything about the game faster than other players, loves the game, loves to learn, and is a player with great skill and technique.
“He is a player who is difficult to win the ball under pressure and finds space very easily.
“He is young and has great talent. I believe that with the right coach, the right project and the right match, he could take a big step in his career.”
Whether Fonseca will stay at Stade Pierre Mauroy next season to help Lille progress remains a topic of discussion between Fonseca and club president Olivier LeTang.
Fonseca's contract runs until the summer and his future will depend on how his team finishes this season and Lille's ambitions.
Coaching in the Premier League remains a consideration and he speaks of his admiration for Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola, Arsenal's Mikel Arteta and Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi.
“I have to confess that the championship in England is very attractive because we have the best coach, the best team and the best players,” Fonseca added.
“Of course it's nice to challenge yourself like this and play with the best players. But I'm not attached to it. I'm very good here and I'm very respected here in France. I feel that I am.”
At least for the time being, Fonseca hopes this special European adventure continues at Lille.
