Paris Saint-Germain are close to appointing Fabrice Abriel as the new head coach of their women’s team.
Abriel left fellow Division 1 Feminine side FC Fleury 91 at the end of last season having spent the previous three years there.
There are still some details yet to be finalised — including an agreement with Fleury — but Abriel is the firm favourite to replace Jocelyn Precheur, who left PSG upon the expiration of his contract to join Michele Kang’s London City Lionesses in the Women’s Championship, the second tier of English football.
A Fleury club statement following Abriel’s exit said he has “decided to give a new direction to his coaching career”.
Abriel guided Fleury to two fourth-place league finishes and fifth place last season. His side were finalists in last season’s French Cup, suffering a 1-0 defeat against PSG after beating Lyon in the semi-final on penalties.
The 44-year-old, who was brought up a stone’s throw away from PSG’s former training ground, Camp des Loges, and was a ball boy at their games, spent 13 years at PSG as an academy graduate but made only five appearances as a professional before leaving.
The former France youth international spent his whole playing career in France which included spells at Lorient, Nice and Marseille — PSG’s fiercest rival.
PSG had ended Lyon’s 14-year stranglehold on the Division 1 Feminine in the 2020-21 season, winning the league title for the first time in their history, but finished 11, six and 11 points behind them respectively in the past three seasons.
The Abriel news comes after PSG confirmed the arrival of England international Mary Earps on a two-year contract. The 31-year-old joined after her Manchester United contract expired.
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