Premier League underachievers Newcastle United are dreaming big again – will Lucien Favre leave Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund behind?
While Lucien Favre’s name might have emerged right out of the blue as Newcastle United prepare to strut into a shiny new era, the eagle-eyed among you should not be surprised to see this methodical Swiss coach linked with Steve Bruce’s job.
After all, Favre was very keen to take over at St James’ Park in the summer of 2015 (Chronicle). And, considering how the subsequent reign of Steve McClaren developed, Newcastle might look back and wish they had hired the softy-spoken 62-year-old instead of the former England boss.
But, five years on, The Magpies have the chance to right that particular wrong.
According to ESPN, Favre is one of the early frontrunners if Bruce fails to hang onto his dream job, although his name will inevitably be dwarfed by those of Max Allegri and Mauricio Pochettino.
A man who transformed Borussia Monchengladbach from Bundesliga also-rans into a Champions League outfit might not be a household name on Tyneside or England in general but he is a very respected coach on the other side of the Channel.
Favre turned a youthful and exciting Nice side into a Ligue 1 force between 2016 and 2018, succeeding where Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Mancini and co failed by coaxing the mercurial best out of Mario Balotelli.
And while his often prosaic style of football and somewhat passive demeanour has invited plenty of criticism at Dortmund, a club who still pine for the chest-thumping days of Jurgen Klopp, Favre still has Die Schwarzgelben in contention for the title.
Dortmund are second as it stands, four points behind Bayern Munich.
But if Newcastle come calling, don’t be surprised if Favre jumps at a job he has been chasing for half a decade.
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