Washington Spirit head coach Jonatan Giraldez will reportedly depart next month to take over OL Lyonnes

Jonatan Giraldez's tenure in Washington is ending sooner than many might have expected, with the long-time Barca coach set to depart for OL Lyonnes in June, according to the Washington Post.

He will leave the NWSL having coached the Spirit to last year's championship game, where his side lost 1-0 to Orlando Pride.

Numerous clubs in the U.S.'s top flight enquired about his availability this offseason, acccording to CBS Sports, but the Spirit had rebuffed all interested parties.

Both the Spirit and OL Lyonnes - the eight-time women's champions of Europe who recently rebranded from Olympique Lyonnais - are owned by Michele Kang.

At 33, Giraldez is regarded as one of the finest young coaches in the women's game, and serial winner across two full time managerial jobs. He claimed three straight Liga F titles with Barcelona, losing just one game in domestic play over a three year period. He also has two Women's Champions Leagues to his name.

He will take over the recently rebranded OL Lyonnes side, considered as one of the best in Europe. They won five consecutive Champions League titles from 2016-2020, and have claimed the competition eight times - more than any other team.

Giraldez is expected to leave the club prior to the NWSL's summer break, which takes place at the end of June. The club will reportedly promote his assistant, Adrian Gonzalez, who served as the interim coach for the first few months of the 2024 campaign.