Reports on Tuesday's split quickly centred on assistant coach Nelson Morgado's role in the surprise decision. Lens had reportedly only wanted to sack Toppmöller's confidant at first. The 45-year-old former Eintracht Frankfurt coach, however, is said to have tied his own future to that of his assistant.
"After numerous discussions about the squad structure as well as the working methods and organisation of the coaching staff, the club informed their coach of the intention to restructure the staff," the club said in a statement: "As Dino Toppmöller was unable to support these structural changes, the club took the responsible decision to end his role as well as those of his two assistants."
Toppmöller exit in Lens: problems with the players as well?
According to a report by Sport1 , other issues were also at play. The report says tensions had been building between Toppmöller and his players for weeks. Key figures are said to have repeatedly complained about the content of training sessions.
There was also said to be frustration among the French assistant coaches Eric Sikora, Cedric Berthelin, Guillaume Rave and Yannick Cahuzac, who had been at Lens for some time, over their new boss's lack of communication. The coaching staff is said to have split into two camps. On one side were Toppmöller and his two assistants, Morgado and Erwin Skela, on the other the Frenchmen. Cahuzac has now stepped in as interim coach. He will take charge of the team on Friday in the league match against AS Monaco.
Appointed this summer, Toppmöller made an immediate impact by leading Lens to a surprise Super Cup win over champions and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. The start to the new Ligue 1 season, though, was mixed. Lens picked up only four points from their first four matches. In the Champions League, however, they did at least open with a win against Slavia Prague.