Girondins de Bordeaux have appointed Paulo Sousa as their new coach.
The well-travelled Portuguese, 48, has signed a four-year deal to take over at the American-owned club, with the confirmation of his arrival following a week of much speculation in south-western France.
Sousa comes in at the Matmut Atlantique following the departure of general manager Ricardo Gomes. Eric Bedouet, who had officially been first-team coach, steps aside too, as Sousa looks to boost the fortunes of a team sitting 13th in the Ligue 1 Comforama table and out of all cup competitions.
Vision
"My vision for my role at Bordeaux, just as at all the clubs where I have coached, will consist of creating and developing a philosophy and footballing identity which will reflect its history and can last into the future," said Sousa, who will officially take charge after Bordeaux's game at AS Monaco on Saturday.
In a great playing career, Sousa notably won the UEFA Champions League with Juventus and Borussia Dortmund in successive years in the 1990s. As a coach, he has won league titles in Israel with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, and in Switzerland with FC Basel. He has also managed in England and Hungary.
More recently, he finished fifth and then eighth in two seasons at Fiorentina between 2015 and 2017, before a year in charge of Tianjin Quanjian, leading them to a mid-table finish in the Chinese Super League prior to leaving in November.
