GEORGIA MANAGER WILLY Sagnol has dampened speculation he will be appointed the next Ireland manager by committing his future to Georgia.
Sagnol was a candidate for the job earlier this year, but it appears the FAI’s hopes of appointing him were complicated by the fact he led Georgia to qualification for Euro 2024, beating Greece in a play-off in March.
The FAI subsequently opened talks with Greece manager Gus Poyet, but no deal was struck. The FAI did not deliver a candidate by their public deadline of April, and so installed John O’Shea in interim charge and promised a full-time appointment by September.
That sparked speculation that Sagnol may come back into the running for the Irish job once the Euros have finished, but he distanced himself from the role when he was asked about it at a press conference ahead of Georgia’s clash with Turkey in Dortmund tomorrow.
“As you can imagine this is really not the moment to talk about it”, Sagnol told the Irish Independent.
“Everyday I talk about my boss in Georgia, the president, and the situation is very clear. It looks like they appreciate working with me and I also appreciate working with them.
“It’s not the right time for it but I very much appreciate working in Georgia and I consider myself working in Georgia and with Georgia for the next years.”
