Julien Stéphan laid off, Sampaoli close to an agreement with Rennes

He then took over from Bruno Genesio, and the first months of the winner of the 2019 Coupe de France had convinced his management to offer him an extension last March until 2026. But the end of last season, marked by 6 defeats (and 2 draws) during the last eleven days, had already weakened Stéphan, since Rennes was deprived of a European qualification. Since then, the club has changed sports director, Frederic Massara taking over from Florian Maurice, then president, with the appointment of Arnaud Pouille in place of Olivier Cloarec.