Former Rennes coach Julien Stephan has taken over from Thierry Laurey at Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 club announced on Friday. Laurey, who had been at the helm since 2016 and secured promotion from Ligue 2 in his first season, was free to leave at the end of his contract. Stephan enjoyed a successful spell at Rennes, but was sacked in March after a disappointing run of form. He took the club into the Champions League for the first time with a third-placed finish in last season's coronavirus-truncated campaign, but they only managed one point from six group-stage games this term. Stephan also masterminded Rennes' 2019 French Cup triumph, beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final, which was their first major trophy since winning the league title in 1971. "Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace and Julien Stephan have agreed a three-year contract," Strasbourg said in a brief statement. Strasbourg finished 15th in Ligue 1 but only sealed their top-flight status on the final day of the season last weekend. It was their joint-lowest finish since returning to the division. jus/bdx/bpa/jc/gj