Rennes part ways with Julien Stéphan

Stade Rennais have announced the dismissal of their manager Julien Stéphan.

Following a week of speculation after Rennes' 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Auxerre last weekend, the club have officially announced today that they have parted ways with their manager Julien Stéphan. Rennes will now look to move quickly to find a replacement.

"Stade Rennais F.C. has initiated proceedings to part ways head coach Julien Stéphan and his assistants Denis Zanko and Bouziane Benaraïbi," said the club in an official statement. "Pending a decision, the professional team will be coached by Sébastien Tambouret (Pro2 group coach), assisted by Denis Arnaud (Academy Director) and Pierre-Alexandre Lelièvre (Pro2 group assistant coach)."

Stéphan's second tenure at Rennes comes to an end

Stephan, who was born in Rennes, has been the first coach to be sacked from the club since Sabri Lamouchi in December 2018. He was replaced by Stephan in his first stint at the club which was also his senior managerial debut. It was a successful period for Stéphan and the club, as they would go and win the 2019 Coupe de France on penalties against PSG and reach the UEFA Champions league two seasons later.

Stephan handed in his resignation after a string of bad results the same season as Rennes' maiden Champions League campaign. He was replaced by former Lyon manager Bruno Génésio, who would go on to resign last season. Stéphan was drafted in to replace Génésio, steering Rennes to safety but missing out on European football. Despite an ambitious transfer window, Les Rouges et Noir couldn't improve this season. After a string of bad results, a 4-0 loss to Auxerre away from home would come as the final nail in the coffin for Stéphan's second tenure at the club.

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