Carles Martínez Novell

Carles Martínez Novell (born 18 May 1984) is a Spanish football coach who is currently manager of Ligue 1 club Toulouse.

Managerial career

Early career

A youth product of his hometown club Llerona where he played as a goalkeeper, Martínez Novell moved to the youth academy of Granollers at the age of 14, and started managing their youth at the age of 16. He moved to Espanyol's youth sides shortly after. After 5 years with Espanyol, he moved to Barcelona in 2015 and helped manage youth teams in La Masia up to the U16 level. In 2019, he went to the Qatari club Al-Rayyan to manage their youth sides. He was appointed the manager of the Kuwait U20s in 2020.

Toulouse

On 9 December 2022, Martínez Novell was appointed as the assistant manager of Toulouse and head of methodology under Philippe Montanier. He was part of the management team that helped the club win the 2022–23 Coupe de France, and on 14 June 2023 he was named head coach.

Martínez Novell's debut in Ligue 1 came on 13 August 2023 in a 2–1 win away to Nantes, whom his club had also beaten in the cup final. On 3 January 2024, his team lost the Trophée des Champions 2–0 to Paris Saint-Germain; he said that his team lost the game in the first half by not believing in themselves. Eight days later, the club were eliminated in the last 32 of their cup defence, with a 12–11 penalty shootout defeat away to Championnat National side Rouen after a 3–3 draw, and he further criticised his players' efforts.

In the UEFA Europa League in 2023–24, Toulouse advanced from the group stage in second place behind Liverpool, with a home win and away defeat to the English side. In the playoff, they were eliminated by Portugal's Benfica in February; Martínez Novell called the goalless draw in the second leg at the Stadium de Toulouse their best performance of the season. The league campaign ended with the club in 11th place, signing off with a 3–0 home loss to UEFA Champions League qualifiers Brest.

In September 2024, Martínez Novell signed a new contract of undisclosed length. Club president Damien Comolli said that the coach was playing a style of football that the entity had sought for several years.