Remi Garde earned six caps for French national team, spent most of his playing career in his home country, and managed Lyon to a French Cup title.
Now the boss at Aston Villa, Garde’s first rule in charge: No speaking French.
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Villa has seen a French revolution over the past few months, with Jordan Ayew, Jordan Amavi, Jordan Veretout and Idrisse Gueye all coming over from Ligue 1 this summer. Rudy Gestede and Charles N’Zogbia were also both born in France.
However, Garde wants everyone on the same page, and that means English-only.
We are in England. We need to adapt.
They need to learn English quickly. I don’t want anybody speaking French in the dressing room.
It is very important we understand each other. It’s also important that the English players speak slowly sometimes at the beginning. Everyone has to make an effort.
Garde himself speaks very good English, as he played for Arsenal in the final three seasons of his career. Many believe his ties to the French players at Villa was a big reason why the board was so keen to bring him in to replace Tim Sherwood.
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No matter what language is being used, Garde has his work cut out for him. Villa hasn’t won a PL match since the opening day (August 8), and are currently on a run of seven straight losses in the league. They sit glued to the bottom of the table with four points through 11 matches.