Lyon will hire Paulo Fonseca as its new coach, a person with direct knowledge of the deal has told The Associated Press.
The person requested anonymity because the deal has yet to be announced officially.
Fonseca will replace Pierre Sage, who was fired despite leading the French league club out of a crisis last season and having the team within reach of a Champions League place in this campaign.
Sage's dismissal on Tuesday followed a 1-1 draw with Nantes in Ligue 1 over the weekend and left many observers perplexed. Sage had rapidly become a fans’ favorite after guiding Lyon from the bottom of the standings to a sixth-place finish last season.
And after 19 matches this season, Lyon is sixth in the league — just four points off a Champions League spot — and in a good position to qualify for the knockout stage of the Europa League.
Lyon, however, said the decision to part ways with Sage was a “sporting choice” after the Frenchman averaged fewer points per game this season and struggled against big rivals.
Lyon is owned by American businessman John Textor, who visited the club in person this week. He had been in regular contact with Fonseca in recent years and previously tried to hire him. The former Lille coach has been out of a job since he was fired by AC Milan on Dec. 30.
The 51-year-old Fonseca produced only 12 wins in 24 matches across all competitions with AC Milan but the Portuguese coach was more succesful with Lille, where he built one of the best attacking and efficient sides in France despite operating on a limited budget.
Lyon, which spent 220 million euros ($229 million) on players while Sage was in charge, believes that Fonseca will be able to add defensive stability to the team and make it more competitive against the top four Ligue 1 teams. The club's ambition is to qualify for the Champions League on a regular basis and to challenge Paris Saint-Germain's supremacy.
Lyon also had to deal with off-the-pitch issues this season and is risking relegation to the second tier because of financial issues. However, Textor’s Eagle Football company has expressed confidence that it can convince French league’s soccer watchdog that the club is sound, announcing Tuesday a cash injection of 83 million euros ($87 million).
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - AC Milan's head coach Paulo Fonseca prior to the Champions League opening phase soccer match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
Lyon's head coach Pierre Sage greets the crowd at the end of the Europa League opening phase soccer match Fenerbahce at Sukru Saracoglu stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Lyon's head coach Pierre Sage waits for the beginning of he Europa League opening phase soccer match against Fenerbahce at Sukru Saracoglu stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
DALLAS (AP) — Former President George W. Bush didn't need to look too far for inspiration for his newest works of art.
The 78-year-old has brushed portraits of world leaders and people who immigrated to the U.S. But his newest collection draws on scenes much closer to home: his presidential library in Dallas.
The exhibit opened Thursday at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush moved to Dallas after he left the White House in 2009, and he took up oil painting a few years later.
The 35 new works are an ode not only to life at the center but also to SMU. The exhibit called “A Shining City on the Hilltop" is both a nod to SMU’s nickname — The Hilltop — and former President Ronald Reagan’s famous use of the phrase “shining city upon a hill” to refer to America, said Teresa Lenling, director of the presidential museum.
“This features not just the places around the SMU campus but it really takes a look at the people that are the heart of this campus and the community,” said Lenling, adding that Bush composed the paintings from photos taken around the center and campus.
One of the paintings comes from the center's opening in 2013, when then-President Barack Obama and all of the still-living former presidents, including Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, posed in front of the new building.
Devon Yarbrough, who works at the center, said she was “very surprised” but pleased to spot herself in one of the paintings. She’s depicted reading a book on her lunch break while sitting on a bench under a tree in the center’s 15-acre park.
This is the fifth exhibit of George W. Bush's art to be featured at the center. His first exhibit was a collection of portraits of world leaders including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Dalai Lama.
He's also done a collection of paintings of military veterans, which were featured in his book “Portraits of Courage,” and painted portraits of people who immigrated to the U.S., which are compiled in his book “Out of Many, One.”
The exhibit is on display through Oct. 19.
Teresa Lenling, Director of the George W. Bush Presidential Museum, speaks during an interview about an exhibit featuring paintings by President George W. Bush on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
Devon Yarbrough, Digital Communications Manager at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, poses for a photo in front of a painting she is in by President George W. Bush on display in an exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
A visitor looks at an exhibit of paintings by President George W. Bush on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
An outside view of the George W. Bush Presidential Museum on Thursday, May 15, 2025 where an exhibit featuring paintings by President George W. Bush is on display in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
Teresa Lenling, Director of the George W. Bush Presidential Museum, speaks during an interview about an exhibit featuring paintings by President George W. Bush on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
Devon Yarbrough, Digital Communications Manager at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, speaks about being part of one of the paintings by President George W. Bush on display in an exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
An outside view of the George W. Bush Presidential Museum on Thursday, May 15, 2025 where an exhibit featuring paintings by President George W. Bush is on display in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
Teresa Lenling, Director of the George W. Bush Presidential Museum, speaks during an interview at an exhibit featuring paintings by President George W. Bush on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
A visitor looks at an exhibit of paintings by President George W. Bush on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
