Zidane to begin plan for backroom staff ahead of takeover as France coach

French legend Zinedine Zidane has begun plans for his backroom staff as he prepares to take over the coaching role of Les Bleus.

The current France boss, Didier Deschamps, will end his journey as the national team coach after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to Les Parisie, 53-year-old Zidane, who led Les Bleus to a successful World Cup in 1998, has agreed terms to take over the France national team from Deschamps after the tournament hosted in México, USA, and Canada. 

The President of the French Football Federation (FFF), Philippe Diallo, had last weekend said that he knows “who will be France’s next manager”, linking the rumours to the former Real Madrid manager.

Deschamps, who took over the role from former France defender Laurent Blanc in 2012, had won the World Cup in 2018 and the UEFA Nations League in 2020/21.

 Zidane had been with the management since 2021, the last time the French national team won a trophy. It now looks like the former Juventus midfielder took his time to ensure his return to the dugout is right for him.

The former Real Madrid manager had last year talked about getting back in the hot seat, saying that if he returns to club football management, it is to win. 

He was linked to the Manchester United job at the time before the Red Devils management settled for former midfielder Michael Carrick, who seemed to have steadied the ship.

Zidane, who stated that he knows what is needed to win, pointed out that he might not always win, but knows what he needs to have to achieve his goal.

From the look of things, the former midfielder appears to have found the right fit for him, which is the France job.

Although his appointment is yet to be confirmed, reports are saying that Zidane has chosen his former teammate, Fabien Barthez, as his goalkeeping coach. 

The former Manchester United goalie could be making a comeback at Clairefontaine as Les Bleus‘ next goalkeeping coach, based on this. 

According to L’Equipe, Zidane has begun working behind the scenes on succeeding Deschamps as the next France national team head coach. 

It further reported that Zidane intends to start with a clean slate, meaning that none of Deschamps’ backroom staff is likely to be retained.

Zidane reportedly wants Barthez as France’s goalkeeping coach, as he was an integral part of France’s golden era and a close friend of Zidane. 

As an agreement with the FFF is reportedly well in the works, Zidane could bring more experienced hands into his backroom.

Barthez played 87 times for France. According to reports, he is enthusiastic about the idea of coaching the present and next generation of elite French goalkeepers.