Jardim one of the best in the world – Lopes praises Monaco boss amid interest

Monaco, April 22: Rony Lopes labelled Leonardo Jardim as one of the best coaches in the world as the Monaco boss continues to be linked with a move away from the club.

French champions Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League duo Arsenal and Chelsea have emerged as possible destinations for Jardim, who guided the Principality club to Ligue 1 glory and the Champions League semi-finals last season.

Despite seeing his championship-winning side raided by PSG, Manchester City and Chelsea in the off-season as stars Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayoko departed, Jardim has still managed to keep Monaco challenging for silverware.

Monaco – second in Ligue 1 behind recently crowned champions PSG – lost to Unai Emery's men in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue last month.

Asked about speculation regarding Jardim, with Arsene Wenger set to leave Arsenal at the end of the season and uncertainty over the futures of Emery and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, Monaco star Lopes told Omnisport: "Jardim has an important role in Monaco's strategy and I'm sure he is the man for the job here.

"Domestically, we face competitive opponents such as Marseille and Lyon, while PSG are at an even higher level, trying to fight for titles in Europe. Even in these tough conditions, Jardim proved he has the ability to take Monaco to win Ligue 1 and to impress in Europe.

"That says all about his importance to the club."

Lopes, who has benefited under the Portuguese's leadership with 15 goals in all competitions this season, added: "Jardim is a great coach, very organised and with attention to details. He gets the team playing as he wants and also has the ability to guide each player to take advantage of their own particular skills and put them in favour of the team.

"That makes him one of the best in Europe and in the world, I'm sure. Everyone likes to have Jardim as their leader."

Source: OPTA