Monaco have sacked coach Leonardo Jardim as reports suggest that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry could be set to replace him.
Jardim has been dismissed after a 2-1 home defeat against Rennes on Sunday left Monaco 18th in Ligue 1, having claimed just one win from their opening nine matches.
Henry, who ruled himself out of the running to succeed Steve Bruce as Aston Villa manager before the appointment of Dean Smith, is regarded as a leading candidate to begin his coaching career at the club where he spent his first five years as a player.
“I’m grateful and proud to have been AS Monaco coach for more than four years,” Jardim said in Monaco’s statement announcing his departure. “I’ve always given my very best and worked with passion. We achieved some great victories together and I’ll always keep those memories. Daghe Munegu.”
Monaco vice-president and CEO Vadim Vasilyev added: “I want to thank with deepest respect Leonardo for all the work [he has] done. Leonardo has established himself on the bench of AS Monaco as a reference in Europe and leaves behind a very positive balance sheet.
“His passage will remain as one of the most beautiful pages in the history of the club. Leonardo will still be part of the AS Monaco family.”
Jardim took charge of Monaco in the summer of 2014 and won the club’s eighth Ligue 1 title in the 2016-17 season, as well as reaching the Champions League semi-finals with a thrilling young team that included Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy.
But many of those players departed the Principality soon after, and Jardim struggled to rebuild the team around his remaining stars and summer arrivals Aleksandr Golovin, Benjamin Henrichs, Willem Geubbels and Nacer Chadli.
