Monaco eye European lifeline as summer overhaul looms | OneFootball

Monaco could still reach Europe next season, and the club is braced for a busy summer off the pitch. According to L'Équipe, the hierarchy will wait for Friday’s Coupe de France final between Lens and Nice, which could hand them a Europa Conference League play-off spot, before tackling staffing matters.

Despite a 4-5 defeat to Strasbourg at the weekend and a seventh-place finish in Ligue 1, their fate may yet swing on Lens. As RCL are already qualified for Europe, a Lens win would push Monaco into the Conference League play-offs.

Chief executive Thiago Scuro accepted that any European reprieve would not be merited on this season’s output. He noted the Conference League could bring a modest financial boost, around €15m to €20m, and, more importantly, help restore the club’s image by returning to Europe.

President Dimitri Rybolovlev is understood to be planning a season debrief next week. After 34 uneven rounds, Monaco have identified a lack of coordination between the sporting, medical and performance departments.

Changes have already begun, with Adi Hütter dismissed for Sébastien Pocognoli in October, and Yann Le Meur replaced by Spaniard Javier Arnaiz as head of performance in April. Further talks could address the futures of Scuro and technical director Carlos Avina, and whether to retain Pocognoli and his staff.

Pocognoli, under contract to June 2027 and close to securing his Belgian diploma, works alongside Kevin Mirallas and Artur Kopyt. The staff will inevitably shift, with goalkeeping coach Frederic De Boever out of contract and likely Damien Perrinelle to follow.

Vadim Khetagov’s role may also come under review. The Russian kinesiologist, installed mid-season by Rybolovlev, has recently taken on wider duties, moving from exclusively working with Paul Pogba and Ansu Fati to monitoring about 15 Monaco players, though some remain unconvinced by his methods. Monaco cannot afford another campaign blighted by injuries.

Source: L'Équipe