Rene Girard, who steered Montpellier to the French Ligue 1 title in 2011/12, has been appointed coach at Lille, AFP learned on Friday.
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Talks about his appointment finished late on Thursday, a source with knowledge of the discussions indicated, confirming news first reported in Le Parisien daily.
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The 59-year-old Girard, who was in line for the post with Borussia Moenchengladbach's Swiss coach Lucien Favre, takes over at Lille from Rudi Garcia, who has left for AS Roma.
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The appointment was due to be made official later Friday or Saturday and he will be formally unveiled next week.
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Girard, a midfielder for Nimes and Bordeaux in his playing days, will be the third coach under the presidency of Michel Seydoux, who has run the club since 2002.
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Claude Puel, manager between 2002 and 2008, and Garcia both secured qualification for the Champions League in 2005/6 and 2006/7.
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Garcia also steered Lille to the league and cup double in 2010/11.
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Lille finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season and will not compete in European competition for the first time since 2008.
Coaching a club like this is always a stepping stone for doing greater things in future. Great things start from somewhere.