Overview
- FC Nantes officially appointed Michel Der Zakarian as head coach on a two-year contract, naming the hire in a club statement on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
- The club gave Der Zakarian a promotion mandate to return Nantes to Ligue 1 after the team was relegated last season with just 23 points.
- Der Zakarian will work with assistants David Bechkoura and Vitorino Hilton and a backroom team that includes Jean-Marc Branger for performance, Romain Faure as physical trainer, Faouzi Amza as goalkeeper coach, and Robin Freneau as video analyst.
- This is Der Zakarian’s third spell with Nantes and he previously led the club to promotions to Ligue 1 in 2008 and 2013; he had been without a club since leaving Caen in 2025.
- The appointment signals a continuity-focused, short-term recovery plan that will shape summer recruitment and preseason work as the club prepares for a campaign aimed at quick promotion and financial stabilization.