London City Lionesses: What led to Jocelyn Preshore’s sacking and what’s next for the club?

While Preshore’s influence has been significant during the club’s inception, there is a sense that London City are moving towards a Spanish footballing identity.

Barcelona dominates club football in Europe, having reached the Champions League final in six of the past seven seasons and winning the title three times.

The Spanish national team is currently the world champion and European runner-up.

So when former Barcelona coach Jonathan Giraldes joined Kang’s Washington Spirit team in 2024, before moving to Lyon this year, it was not a huge surprise.

Spanish football has a clear identity and style of play – a possession-heavy football with high technical skill. It is believed that London City want to achieve this, in addition to the traditional physicality of the English game.

The club had a shortlist of coaches looking for a replacement for Brescher and did not rule some out of the men’s game, but appear to have ultimately chosen Meestre, who has shown his potential with Spanish clubs Tenerife and Real Sociedad.

The key criteria for London City’s upcoming appointment are believed to revolve around style of play, the coach’s ability to collaborate with a wider team of experience and a proven track record in developing talented players and youngsters.

When the appointment is confirmed, Meister is expected to play a role in the club’s signing process in January.

London City spent big in the summer, bringing in star names such as France international Grace Giroud and former Lyon midfielder Daniel van de Donk.

The transfer policy this time around is believed to be about targeting future stars who can adapt to London City’s new-look training program and coaching style.

They want to compete for titles in the near future, and battle the elite in the Champions League, so they are shopping around for future European champions.

Meister’s imminent arrival is likely to be coupled with other staff appointments, including analysts and medical experts.

What is clear is that the City of London is not here to make friends, they are here to shake things up and plan big things for the future.

Whether that comes to fruition or not, we’ll have to wait and see.