Monday 2 November 2015 22:26, UK
Remi Garde has been named as the new manager of Aston Villa, following Tim Sherwood's sacking last month.
The Frenchman, who has been on a sabbatical since leaving his post as Lyon head coach last summer, was an early front-runner for the role and has been handed the reins ahead of the Villans' Monday Night Football clash with Tottenham.
Here, we profile the 49-year-old and examine whether he is the right man to turn the club's fortunes around…
What's his background?
Garde is a former France international who started his playing career at Lyon. The defensive midfielder made his senior debut in 1987 and became club captain before moving to Strasbourg in 1993, but he is best known in England for a three-year spell at Arsenal between 1996 and 1999.
Garde joined the Gunners on the same day as Patrick Vieira. But while the youthful Vieira became a key player in the heart of their midfield, Garde was brought in to provide cover and add experience to Arsene Wenger's side. He was an unspectacular but dependable performer and became a popular figure at the club.
He never made more than 11 Premier League appearances in a single season in north London, but he was part of their double-winning 1997/98 campaign, and helped his countryman Wenger get his ideas across to the players before retiring with a knee problem in 1999.
What has he achieved as a manager?
Garde joined Lyon's backroom staff in 2003 and spent time as Paul Le Guen and Gerard Houllier's assistant before getting the top job in 2011 following the departure of Claude Puel.
Garde's Lyon finished fourth, third and fifth in his three seasons in charge. It was a long way from their dominance of previous years, but there were extenuating circumstances, and he did succeed in guiding them to French Cup glory in 2012 - their first piece of silverware since 2008.
While Paris Saint-Germain's new financial prowess changed the landscape in Ligue 1, Garde had to operate on a tight budget at Lyon and the club cashed in on a string of key players during his time in charge. Key midfielders Jeremy Toulalan and Miralem Pjanic were sold in his first summer at the club, and he also lost the likes of Hugo Lloris, Kim Kallstrom and Dejan Lovren.
Despite those setbacks, Garde earned plaudits for introducing a more exciting, attacking playing style at Lyon. He promoted young players from their academy to good effect, and they also reached two French League Cup finals, the Champions League last 16 and the Europa League quarter-finals with him in charge.
Perhaps the biggest testament to his good work at Lyon was the fact that the club were desperate for him to stay at the end of the 2013/14 season. Garde, though, insisted he needed a break.
Is he the right fit for Villa?
Appointing Garde represents a gamble given his lack of managerial experience in the Premier League, but he speaks fluent English and ticks plenty of other boxes. He has shown he is accustomed to working on a limited budget, for a start, and his impressive track record for developing young players is also appealing.
Striker Alexandre Lacazette is probably the best example. The Lyon academy product has become an established France international and one of Europe's most prolific strikers since Garde made him a first team regular. His ability to nurture young talent would undoubtedly be useful at Villa Park.
Garde has a reputation as a smart tactician, and he could also help Villa's crop of French-speaking players adapt to the Premier League. The likes of Jordan Amavi, Jordan Ayew, Jordan Veretout and Idrissa Gueye will be well-known to Garde from their days in Ligue 1, and communication issues would be a thing of the past.
Garde comes highly recommended by Wenger, too, and in the past he has even been mooted as a long-term replacement to his former mentor at Arsenal.
What do they say about him?
Jean-Michel Aulas, Lyon chairman, following Garde's departure from the club: "Remi will not extend his contract despite multiple proposals on our side. Remi took this decision based on personal and family reasons. We hold the man in high esteem - but Remi has also performed tremendously given the means he had been given."
Arsene Wenger: "He did very well [at Lyon]. Lyon benefits now from the quality of his work. It was a job where he was a lot under pressure because in Lyon the demands are very high, but he did very well."
Former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke: "It was almost as if he was there to teach the rest of us what Wenger wanted in terms of his passing, movement and attitude. At a time when the old guard were sceptical about Wenger and his methods he was almost a link between them and the new gaffer."
