Official | Julien Stéphan dismissed as Rennes coach

Today at 08:21 AM

Stade Rennais have officially parted ways with Julien Stéphan. The Rennes-born head coach’s managerial future was hanging by a thread after his side suffered a shock 4-0 away defeat to promoted Ligue 1 side Auxerre last Sunday, the team’s fifth defeat in ten Ligue 1 games this season. Rennes will now try to move quickly to secure his successor with Jorge Sampaoli now seen as the favorite to replace Stéphan. An agreement is reportedly close to being found between the Argentine head coach and the Ligue 1 side, according to L’Equipe.

Stéphan is the first Rennes head coach to be sacked since Sabri Lamouchi in December 2018. Lamouchi’s successor in the Rennes dugout was none other than Stéphan himself. The former midfielder quickly established himself as a promising manager in his senior managerial debut, notably in winning the 2019 Coupe de France on penalties against PSG.

A string of bad results during the 2020-2021 campaign – during which Rennes made their Champions League debut – prompted Stéphan to hand in his resignation – a decision he later admitted regretting. Bruno Genesio replaced him and, last season, the former Lyon manager also resigned, which made the club’s owners – the Pinault family – turn their attention back to Stéphan. The latter turned the club’s fortunes around and even earned a contract extension, tying him to Rennes until 2026.

However, since Stéphan’s renewal, Rennes’ performances dipped. The club missed European qualification for the first time in seven years and, despite an ambitious transfer window, results worsened, with the 4-0 away defeat to Auxerre as the last straw for the 44-year-old head coach. Stéphan’s deputy coaches, Denis Zanko and Bouziane Benaraïbi, have also been dismissed.

Sitting 13th, Rennes will host 12th-placed Toulouse this Sunday at the Roazhon Park.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval