OFFICIAL: Lucien Favre is Dortmund’s new manager

Borussia Dortmund have officially announced the signing of Lucien Favre. The 60-year-old joins Dortmund from OGC Nice to be BVB’s next head coach and will sign a two year deal with the black and yellows. Dortmund will activate Favre’s release clause in his contract which allows him to leave the club for a reported 3€ million.

The Swiss coach got his start at Yverdon-Sport FC in Switzerland before joining Servette FC where he won his first title as a coach, the Swiss Cup in 2000/01. In 2003 he joined FC Zürich where he won the Swiss league twice and one more Swiss Cup before he left Switzerland in 2007 for the Bundesliga.

He coached Hertha Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, both with relative success. He took over a Gladbach team that battled relegation and turned them into a top-team in Germany which qualified for the Champions League. However a spell of five defeats at the start of the 2015/16 season led to him leaving Gladbach and joining OGC Nice in France. Favre managed the French club the last two years, leading the club to third place, and the Champions League, in his first season.

After weeks, even months, of rumors this does not exactly come as a surprise. Favre was BVB’s top choice last summer after they sacked Thomas Tuchel but OGC Nice opposed a deal and Favre had no release clause at the time. With a one year delay Dortmund finally get their man and hopefully it turns out to be the right decision.