Rennes announced they’d signed Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli, marking his second run in Ligue 1 football.

Sampaoli, who’s now 64, signed a one-and-a-half-year deal, running through June 2026, as the Breton club shared in a statement. His first taste of French football was with Marseille; he joined them in February 2021 but left abruptly in July 2022 after clashing with management over their transfer strategy to strengthen the squad.

Before this, the veteran coach led national teams like Chile and Argentina, and managed clubs including Spain’s Sevilla, and Brazil’s Santos, Atlético Mineiro, and Flamengo. Sampaoli’s new squad at Rennes is a solid, upper-mid-tier team in the French league, and a regular in European competitions. But right now, they’re going through a rough patch.

Currently, they’re sitting in 11th place in an 18-team league, with just 11 points in 11 games—only one point clear of the relegation zone. Last Thursday, the club fired their previous coach, Julien Stephan, just as talks with Sampaoli were being finalized. “We’re all thrilled to have Jorge join us; he’s a globally recognized coach known for his professionalism and his human touch,” said club president Arnaud Pouille in the statement.