Sebastien Pocognoli to Scotland: Former Monaco head coach frontrunner to replace Steve Clarke
Sebastien Pocognoli won the Belgian league with Union Saint-Gilloise last year; Pocognoli is a free agent after leaving Monaco in June; Steve Clarke left the Scotland job after nation's World Cup group-stage elimination
Saturday 15 August 2026 14:20, UK
Former Monaco head coach Sebastien Pocognoli is the frontrunner for the Scotland men's national team job.
It is understood the 39-year-old, who guided Union Saint-Gilloise to the Belgian league title last year, is the SFA's leading candidate to replace Steve Clarke.
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Pocognoli is currently a free agent after leaving Monaco in June. During his playing career, he represented West Brom and spent a season on loan at Brighton 10 years ago.
Pocogonoli does have some limited experience of international football at youth level, where he managed Belgium's Under-16 and Under-18 sides.
But this would be his first international job - and just his third head coach role in senior men's football.
Clarke left the Scotland job after guiding the nation to their first World Cup since 1998. But the Tartan Army were sent home at the group stages after just one win from three games.
Who is Pocognoli?
Pocognoli is familiar to British audiences from his spells at West Brom and Brighton.
At the Baggies, the left-back made 21 appearances for the then-Premier League club in two years, before dropping down to the Championship to play on loan at Brighton.
Before his time in England, he was part of AZ Alkmaar's title-winning team in the Netherlands in 2009, while he also featured for Belgian clubs Genk and Standard Liege.
During a second spell at Liege after leaving England, he won the Belgian Cup in 2018, but retired three years later in his early 30s.
His final club Union Saint-Gilloise - owned by Brighton owner and Hearts minority stakeholder Tony Bloom - offered him the Under-21s head coach role at the club.
After one season, his first club Genk took him on as Under-18s head coach, while he also worked for Belgium's Under 16 and Under-18 youth teams.
USG then offered him the head coach role in the summer of 2024, where he guided the Belgian side to their first league title in 90 years.
Pocognoli was taken to Scotland during his one season at USG, as the Belgian side were beaten 2-1 by Rangers in the Europa League.
After winning Belgian Coach of the Year in 2025 and managing USG's first ever matches in the Champions League, Pocognoli took up the Monaco head coach role in October of last year.
Despite qualifying for Europe with Monaco, he was replaced as head coach on June 1.
