Rudi Garcia, a candidacy that is gaining strength for a return to the Roma bench

The rumor is growing. Cited among the alternatives to succeed Julien Stéphan on the Stade Rennais bench, Rudi Garcia (60 years old) could finally find a position in Italy, where his rating remains high despite a poor Neapolitan experience last season. Rudi Garcia could very soon be asked by AS Roma, which he has already successfully coached for two and a half years, between 2013 and 2016. AS Roma, which fell to 12th place this weekend, comes just separated from his trainer, Ivan Juric. A fourth setback in his last five league matches was fatal to the Croatian, who was relieved of his duties less than an hour after the end of the match against Bologna (2-3) on Sunday.

A flattering record with AS Roma?

If the favorite remains at this time the former coach of Italy, Roberto Mancini, free since the premature end of his adventure with the Saudi selection, the name of Rudi Garcia has risen to the top of the pile of profiles studied these last last few hours, La Gazzetta dello Sport understands. The French coach’s big return to the capital is a real possibility, indicates Corriere dello Sport. Of all the coaches who have worked for Roma over the last twenty years, Rudi Garcia has the third best points per match record, far ahead of a certain Luis Enrique (11th), according to an infographic from Gazzetta dello Sport. After AS Roma, Rudi Garcia did not experience the same success in Marseille, even if he took OM to the final of the Europa League, lost against Atlético de Madrid, in 2018. The break was painful.

Stories that always end badly

Having left at the end of a failed season the following year, in a stormy context surrounding his person, Rudi Garcia then became the 29th coach in the history of Olympian rival, OL. A position that he finally left with a bang two years later, amid disagreements with the club’s management and in particular its sporting director at the time, Juninho. The French coach’s last experience on the bench with Al-Nassr turned out to be even shorter since Rudi Garcia was pushed out less than a year after his arrival in Saudi Arabia, in April 2023.

Original article published on RMC Sport