At the time of his departure, Lille was languishing in 19th place in the league, second from bottom in the 2016–17 season. They were also eliminated at the first hurdle of the UEFA Europa League in the third qualifying round against Gabala, where they were eliminated 2–1 on aggregate.
At that time, Lille was struggling in 19th place in the league, just below the bottom two teams in the 2016–17 season. They were also knocked out of the UEFA Europa League in the third qualifying round against Gabala, losing 2–1 on aggregate.