Former FA Cup winner John Utaka has outlined grand ambitions for ASPTT Montpellier Women following his appointment as head coach of the French sixth-tier side.
The 43-year-old, who represented Nigeria at two World Cups, is best remembered in England for setting up the winning goal for Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth in the 2008 FA Cup final.
Utaka won the Ligue 1 title with Montpellier four years later and, following his retirement in 2018, went on to spend five years as a youth coach for Montpellier, where he briefly took charge of the women’s team in 2021 following the departure of Frédéric Mendy.
Montpellier were relegated to Ligue 2 last season, following which Utake was offered the chance to take up a new role as head coach of near neighbours ASPTT Montpellier Women.
It was an opportunity that the former striker, eager to forge a path as a manager in his own right, found too enticing to resist. Now he hopes to propel the club to the top level of French women’s football.
What did John Utaka say about his ambitions for ASPTT Montpellier Women?
“[Montpellier HSC] was relegated to the second division, and at the end of my contract I received an opportunity to be the main coach at another club,” Utaka said of his move to ASPTT Montpellier.
“I felt it was time to implement my own philosophy and start my managerial career fully. When the chance came, I took it.
“We aim to reach the national level, where we will compete against the country’s top teams. That is the challenge I accepted: to elevate the team beyond the regional level.”
Utaka began his playing career with Engu Rangers in his native Nigeria before he embarked on a nomadic career that would take him to Egypt, Qatar and France.
He was signed by Redknapp from Rennes in 2007, but a £7m price tag weighed heavily and he found goals difficult to come by.
Utaka eventually returned to France with Montpellier in January 2011. He went on to score a brace against Auxerre the following season as the Ligue 1 minnows defied the odds to pip PSG to the title.
That experience should stand Utaka in good stead as he seeks to improve the fortunes of his new club.
