Three games was all it took
FC Nantes parted company with Michel Der Zakarian on Monday night. The Franco-Armenian coach was brought in this summer to get a relegated club moving again, with the brief to win promotion fast. He leaves La Beaujoire after three league games and three defeats: Red Star (0-1), Laval (2-1) and Rodez (2-5). Bottom of the table, no points, and a goal difference already in a mess.
It was his third spell in the Nantes dugout. It was also his shortest by some distance.
Saturday’s collapse against Rodez was the trigger. Nantes led thanks to a Corredor brace, then shipped five after the break in front of their own fans, in their first home game of the season. That sort of home meltdown in the second tier is usually the kind of night a manager does not come back from.
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Gregory Poirier now in pole position
The board had been preparing for this. Foot Mercato reported on Saturday that the Kita family were already working through a shortlist in case of a dismissal. Antoine Kombouare, often dragged back when things start to go wrong and freshly out of a successful spell at Paris FC, was contacted. He is not exactly sold on the idea of a fourth Nantes stint.
Christophe Pellissier is another name liked internally. But Gregory Poirier has gained ground over the past few hours and now looks the strongest option to take charge of the squad.
Replacing a head coach after just three league games is rare, even in a division as long and punishing as Ligue 2. Nantes are backing the brutal call, deciding the situation was too urgent to wait until September.
A club living in chaos
The 2026-2027 season is starting much like the last one ended in Ligue 1: in disorder. Relegation has changed nothing, and the problems run far beyond the dugout. Several senior players have gone, the transfer business is dragging on, and the crowd is already on edge.
The next manager inherits a team with its back to the wall before August is even out. In Ligue 2, gaps open quickly and the promotion contenders settle in early. Nantes are already chasing the season instead of setting the pace.
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