Jonatan Giraldez to leave NWSL's Washington Spirit for OL Lyonnes, club also owned by Michele Kang, per report

Giraldez is expected to depart by the end of June

Head coach Jonatan Giraldez will reportedly leave the NWSL's Washington Spirit in June to join France's OL Lyonnes, trading one club owned by American billionaire Michele Kang for another.

Giraldez is expected to depart the Spirit before or during the NWSL's summer break, which begins the week of June 23, per the Washington Post. He will be replaced by Adrian Gonzalez, who is currently an assistant to Giraldez but was the Spirit's interim head coach at the start of the 2024 season while Giraldez was finishing off his three-year spell in charge of Barcelona.

Though the Spirit are in capable hands with Gonzalez, Giraldez's departure comes as a surprise. He officially announced his departure from Barcelona in December 2023 because he "received much bigger offers than the one I have now," with reports suggesting the Spirit would quadruple his salary. It was a move that was positioned as a statement of intent from Kang, who hired one of the most high-profile coaches in women's soccer – Giraldez had two UEFA Women's Champions League titles to his name by the time he joined the Spirit.

Gonzalez will take the job after the Spirit reportedly turned down multiple requests from other NWSL teams to interview him for their vacancies, anticipating that Giraldez would return to Europe "in the foreseeable future." Giraldez will be back in his home continent but will be working for the same owner – Kang.

He did not officially take over at the Spirit until July of last year but took quickly to the new job, taking the team to the NWSL Championship in November before losing 1-0 to first-time winners Orlando Pride. That run to the Championship, anchored by MVP candidate Trinity Rodman and Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune, was regarded as the first phase of an ambitious project.

Kang has become one of the most ambitious investors in women's soccer in recent years, especially since becoming the majority owner of the Spirit in 2022. She went on to acquire record eight-time Champions League winners OL Lyonnes, known as Olympique Lyonnais until a rebrand earlier this month, and England's London City Lionesses. All three clubs are under the umbrella of Kynisca Sports International, a London-based company Kang launched last year that includes several other soccer-related endeavors that the billionaire has taken interest in over the years.

Giraldez is expected to succeed Joe Montemurro, who will likely leave after a year in the role to take charge of Australia's national team. OL Lyonnes won a record-extending 18th domestic title this season but fell short in the Champions League, losing in the semifinals to eventual winners Arsenal.