6th June, 2014
Monaco have appointed Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim as the club’s new boss on a two-year contract with the option for a third season, the Ligue 1 side announced on Friday.
Jardim, 39, replaces Claudio Ranieri at the helm after the Italian parted ways with Monaco last month having guided the principality outfit to second place and a spot in the Champions League.
Jardim left his post at Sporting Lisbon in May after just one year in the job.
“I am very happy to work for Monaco because it’s a big club. I believe very strongly in this project and I think we will do good things together as a group,” said Jardim in a statement on Monaco’s website.
“AS Monaco is a team with quality players. There are a lot of young talented players and I will do everything to help them progress,” he added.
Vice-president Vadim Vasilyev said the club was “convinced that Leonardo Jardim was the right man to lead the project going forward”.
“He’s a coach who has achieved excellent results at his former clubs. He is very motivated and forms part of this new generation of coaches who bring a new dynamic to the table. He is ambitious, just like us. It’s exactly the type of profile that we were looking for,” added Vasilyev.
After starting his coaching career in the Portuguese lower divisions Jardim took over Beira Mar in 2009 and guided them to promotion to the top flight the following season.
He then helped Braga to a third-place finish during the 2011/12 campaign before moving to Greece to take over the reins at Olympiacos.
His time in Greece was short-lived though and he returned to Portugal, where he penned a two-year contract with Sporting, who he steered to second the past season.
Jardim is expected to be officially presented at Monaco around the time players return for pre-season training on June 30.