Julien Stéphan

Julien Stéphan (born 18 September 1980) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of EFL Championship club Queens Park Rangers.

Julien Stéphan

Stéphan as Strasbourg manager in 2021
Personal information
Date of birth	(1980-09-18) 18 September 1980 (age 45)[1]
Place of birth	Rennes, France
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[citation needed]
Position	Defensive midfielder[citation needed]
Team information
Current team	Queens Park Rangers (Head Coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2001	Paris Saint-Germain B	6	(0)
2001–2002	Toulouse	4	(0)
2002–2003	RC Paris	19	(1)
2003–2005	Stade Briochin	51	(3)
2005–2008	Drouais
Managerial career
2012–2015	Rennes U19
2015–2018	Rennes B
2018–2021	Rennes
2021–2023	Strasbourg
2023–2024	Rennes
2025–	Queens Park Rangers
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

As a player, he was as a defensive midfielder. From December 2018 to March 2021, Stéphan managed his hometown club Rennes, winning the 2018–19 Coupe de France, before managing Strasbourg from July 2021 to January 2023. In November 2023, he was reappointed as manager of Rennes before being sacked a year later.

Early life

Stéphan was born in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, France.^[1]

Managerial career

On 3 December 2018, Sabri Lamouchi was sacked as manager of Ligue 1 club Rennes due to poor results. While initially given a role as interim manager, Stéphan was given the permanent role nine days later after a string of victories including against Astana in the UEFA Europa League, qualifying Rennes for their first ever European knockout round.^[2] After dispatching Real Betis, the club lost 4–3 on aggregate to Arsenal in the last 16.^[3]

Stéphan led Rennes to their first trophy in 48 years on 27 April 2019 in the Coupe de France, beating Paris Saint-Germain 6–5 in a penalty shoot-out in the final after drawing 2–2.^[4] He faced the same opponents on 3 August in the 2019 Trophée des Champions, a 2–1 loss.^[5][6] In the 2019–20 season, Stéphan's Rennes team finished in third place when the season was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore qualifying for the first time to the UEFA Champions League.^[7] He resigned on 1 March 2021, after four straight defeats and seven games without a win.^[8]

In July 2021, Stéphan was appointed as manager of Ligue 1 club Strasbourg. In his first season, he led the club to a sixth-place finish in the top flight, a first since the 1979–80 season.^[9] In January 2023, with Strasbourg sitting in nineteenth place with one win from seventeen games, Stéphan was sacked.^[10]

On 19 June 2025, rumours emerged that Stephan had been in talks with Queens Park Rangers over the manager position at the Championship club and was on the verge of signing a two year deal. ^[11] His appointment was officially confirmed on 25 June.^[12]

Personal life

Stéphan is the son of France national team assistant manager Guy Stéphan and the brother of Guillaume Stéphan, also a former footballer.^[13]

Managerial statistics

As of 4 October 2025

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record
			Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Ref.
Rennes B	1 July 2015	3 December 2018	97	43	28	26	142	109	+33	044.33
Rennes	3 December 2018	1 March 2021	110	46	28	36	157	130	+27	041.82	[14][15][16][17]
Strasbourg	1 July 2021	9 January 2023	58	19	21	18	81	75	+6	032.76
Rennes	19 November 2023	7 November 2024	41	18	7	16	70	57	+13	043.90
Queens Park Rangers	25 June 2025	Present	10	4	3	3	15	17	−2	040.00
Total			316	130	87	99	465	389	+76	041.14

Honours

Manager

Rennes B

• Championnat de France Amateur: 2016–17^{[citation needed]}
• Championnat de France Amateur 2: 2015–16^{[citation needed]}

Rennes

• Coupe de France: 2018–19^[4]