Nantes part ways with Michel Der Zakarian after three games

FC Nantes have ended Michel Der Zakarian’s third spell as head coach after only three Ligue 2 matches. The decision follows a disastrous start for the club, relegated from Ligue 1 this summer and now without a point in the second tier.

Nantes sit last after losing 1-0 to Red Star, 2-1 at Laval and 5-2 against Rodez. The defeat by Rodez came in the club’s first home match of the season. Nantes led at half-time through two goals from Corredor, but conceded five times after the interval. The result prompted the club’s leadership to act immediately.

The early change reflects the scale of the sporting crisis rather than a long-term assessment of Der Zakarian’s return. Nantes had brought back the coach for a third stint, but the team’s position after three rounds left the club searching for a rapid solution in a demanding Ligue 2 campaign.

Antoine Kombouaré has been contacted, although the former Nantes coach is not keen on returning after a brief and successful spell with Paris FC. Christophe Pélissier is also viewed positively, while Grégory Poirier has emerged as the leading option among the names considered by the club’s owners. Nantes must now appoint a successor capable of restoring order to a team already under pressure at the bottom of the table.