Leicester City Women have confirmed the appointment of Amandine Miquel as their new manager on a three-year contract.
The 40-year-old Frenchwoman had previously been in charge of Reims for seven years and her former side finished fourth in the French top flight in the 2023-24 campaign. She is understood to have impressed Leicester through multiple rounds of interviews.
“I am very excited for this new project,” she said. “Right now the WSL is one of the best leagues in the world and it’s the place to be. I am very pleased that I have the opportunity to be here.
“It will be amazing to manage in such a nice stadium and to have the fans supporting the women’s game. I want to get the best out of every player and help the team climb the table. We want to make our fans proud of their team.”
Miquel has also outlined a plan to play attacking football, adding: “I definitely have my own footballing philosophy. Football has to be a show, we have to be ambitious, and we want to play offensive football. It’s important for everyone to have that fighting spirit.”
Leicester finished 10th in the Women’s Super League last season, 12 points clear of the relegation zone, and have been searching far and wide for a new manager for several months.
They had been without a long-term replacement for Willie Kirk, since he was sacked in March after an investigation into an alleged relationship with a player,first reported by the Guardian.Kirk admitted to the relationship in an interview with the Daily Mail last month. Jennifer Foster took charge of Leicester on an interim basis for the remainder of the season after Kirk’s initial suspension.
Leicester’s chief executive, Susan Whelan, said: “We’re enormously excited about Amandine’s appointment. Her candidacy stood out from the earliest stages of the process and, after meeting with her, it became apparent very quickly that she has the personality, technical qualities and leadership skills we’re looking for.”
Miquel is well regarded in France for developing young players, such as the Haiti and Lyon midfielder Melchie Dumornay, the Women’s Champions League’s young player of the season last term, whom she worked with at Reims.