A Champions League club opens its doors: Regragui on the brink of a new European adventure
Morocco's Walid Regragui, the former head coach of the Moroccan national team, has firmly entered the circle of candidates to take charge of the French club Lens, amid the club's management moves to sign a new coach following the dismissal of Yannick Cahuzac due to a decline in results, in particular the heavy defeat to Italy's Como by a score of 9-1 in the Champions League.
French transfer market specialist Santi Aouna revealed, via his account on the platform "X", that Regragui and Pierre Sage top the list of candidates to take over the team's technical leadership.
Sage remains the club management's preferred choice, he explained, but the Moroccan coach's stock has risen in recent times, thanks to his coaching experience, his good knowledge of French football and a record full of achievements.
Regragui, he added, has already met Lens officials to discuss the possibility of taking on the role.
These moves come amid a difficult spell for Lens during the 2026-2027 season. They sit 11th in the French league table with 13 points, gathered from 4 wins and one draw against 5 defeats in 10 matches.
Lens have scored 17 goals and conceded 15, a tally that falls well short of the ambitions of management and fans alike.
Europe tells the same story. They lie 33rd in the league phase of the Champions League with 3 points, after one win and 3 defeats in the first 4 rounds.
A harsh 1-9 defeat to Como on their own pitch cranked up the pressure on the technical staff, hastened Cahuzac's departure and sent the club's management hunting for a replacement capable of correcting the course. Regragui leads the way.
The Moroccan, 50, boasts a varied coaching CV. The most prominent chapter began with FUS Rabat in 2014, where he built a strong and organised side and led them to the Moroccan league title in 2016, the first league championship in the club's history.
Other roles followed before he took charge of the Moroccan national team in August 2022, a few months before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.
His finest achievement came at that tournament. Regragui steered the Atlas Lions to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, becoming the first coach to lead an Arab and African team to that stage in the history of the competition.
He also helped Morocco climb to eighth in the world and top the African rankings, with the national team winning 36 of 49 matches under his leadership and losing only 5.
Though he left the Moroccan job in March 2026, months before the start of the World Cup, Regragui still enjoys enormous appreciation at home, thanks to the historic achievement he delivered with the Atlas Lions.
Lens could be his route back to European pitches as a coach. It all hinges on the decision of the French club's management, who are weighing him against Pierre Sage as they look to restore the team's balance and correct its course at home and on the continent.
