Julien Lachuer: Stepping into the spotlight with SB29
Having been named manager of Stade Brestois in the wake of the sudden passing of Éric Roy, we take a closer look at Les Pirates' new head coach, Julien Lachuer.
Opportunity in the wake of tragedy
The sudden passing of Éric Roy, whose legendary tenure with the Breton club included an historic foray into the Champions League knockout rounds, has well and truly left a hole in French football. Roy was just 58, and a beloved figure despite his short tenure on the sidelines. After his sudden passing -- and the departure of sporting director Gregory Lorenzi -- the club moved to replace Roy with the little-known Julien Lachuer.
Born outside of Paris, Lachuer had a long career as a goalkeeper, featuring for Amiens, Valenciennes and Angers in the second division during his time as a player. Upon his retirement from the game in 2010, he was Brest's goalkeeping coach for more than a decade, and even took interim charge of the club prior to Roy's appointment in 2023. With Roy in charge, Lachuer was promoted to assistant manager, and was a natural selection to succeed the veteran coach, given what by that point was nearly two decades with the club.
𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲́ 𝗱’𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗼𝘆 🔴⚪
Le Stade Brestois est heureux d’officialiser la nomination de Julien Lachuer au poste d’entraîneur de l’équipe professionnelle pour les 2 prochaines saisons.
Souhaitée par Éric Roy avant sa… pic.twitter.com/a0VNbBwmk3— Stade Brestois 29 (@SB29) June 27, 2026
"Talking with them gives me new ideas"
Speaking in his introductory press conference last week, Lachuer underscored that "I know it will be hard to do better than Éric, because he was such a caring coach toward the players and the staff. His passing came as a shock to us. Right up to his last breath, he was thinking about the club and the players."
However, Lachuer is also glad of the opportunity, even if the club have yet to be ambitious in the transfer market, and have half a dozen key players out of contract at the end of the season. Survival is the "main objective" with the well-financed pair of Le Mans and Troyes having been promoted, even if more players from the club's academy will have to be involved given the balance of activity in the mercato to date.
To accomplish this, he will lean on his assistants, including Bruno Grougi, a former teammate and another experienced campaigner. Speaking of his coaching philosophy, Lachuer averred that communication with his staff will be vital as he navigates his first full-time role:
Talking with them gives me new ideas. But it is not only the football part of training, (there is also) an approach to one's self, especially in management. This makes it possible to understand the pressure and manage the more delicate moments. In my opinion, this is where French training is interesting since we review a panel of techniques, approaches, to manage this environment."
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