Rennes appoint Jorge Sampaoli as head coach

The Argentine has officially replaced Julien Stéphan as manager of Stade Rennais.

Jorge Sampaoli has officially been appointed as Stade Rennais' new head coach on Monday evening. The Argentine manager is set to make a return to Ligue 1 after he managed Olympique de Marseille in the 2021-2022 season. He now becomes Rennes' first foreign coach in 18 years.

A free agent after leaving Flamengo in September 2023, the former national coach of Chile and Argentina has signed an 18-month deal. It becomes his 27th managerial job, having a coaching career which has spanned 33 years already. The Argentine has had experience in Europe already with Sevilla, and returns to Ligue 1 following a resurgent spell with Olympique de Marseille in the 2021-2022 season. He managed to return Les Olympiens to Champions League football before departing the club.

Sampaoli appointed "to get the club moving again."

Following a disappointing start to the season, Rennes' loss to Auxerre (4-0) would be the final nail in the coffin for Julien Stéphan's tenure at the club. Sampaoli will now hope to reignite Les Rouges et Noirs' fortunes in Ligue 1, completing an internal makeover which began in the summer.

"We're delighted that Jorge is joining us. He is a coach who is recognised internationally for his professionalism and humanism," said Rennes' Executive Chairman and Managing Director Arnaud Pouille in a club statement. 

"He has a strong attachment to his players and staff, and is a loyal and committed man. We need his energy to get the club moving again and to face the competition with determination. In our discussions, we immediately noticed his love of the game and his desire to defend a collective project. Jorge's vision of how a group should be structured is clear, and the entire sports management team shares the same analysis of what we need to put in place: a taste for hard work, a demand for effort, respect for people and loyalty."

On the return from the international break, Sampaoli and Rennes will face a trip to Stade Pierre Mauroy to face Lille on the 24th November.

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>> Rennes part ways with Julien Stéphan