Six short months and then goes away.
The relegation of Saint-Étienne to Ligue 2, ratified this Sunday after a return play-off against Auxerre ended in chaos, definitively sealed the fate of Pascal Dupraz.
At the end of the contract on June 30, the technician will not be extended.
A maintenance would not have changed anything to the case.
The management of the Forézien club is already working on the identity of his successor.
According to our information, Laurent Batlles, the former coach of Troyes, was received, this Tuesday at the end of the day, by Jean-François Soucasse, the executive president, Loïc Perrin the sports coordinator and Samuel Rustem (deputy general manager in charge of sporting activities).
The interview was deemed positive.
“The discussions were constructive.
Things are progressing favorably, ”judges a person familiar with the matter.
Free since leaving Troyes this winter, Batlles, 46, has the advantage of knowing the green house well where he was a player (2010-2012), assistant coach of the first team (2015-2016) and trainer of the reserve (2016-2019).
At the end of his experience in Aube, he also returned to live in the Saint-Etienne region where his family was still staying.
Recognized for his attacking bias, Batlles knows the L2 well.
He had, moreover, hoisted Troyes into the elite in the spring of 2021. His name is also circulating on the side of Bordeaux, another institution of French football relegated this season to L2.
If the Batlles track did not succeed, other names appear in the shortlist of the officials of the Saint-Etienne club (Der Zakarian, Lamouchi).
Uncertainty also hangs over the governance of the Greens.
Barely the descent recorded, this Sunday, the shareholders, Bernard Caïazzo and Roland Romeyer, published a press release concerning the future of the club, with an important announcement to come soon.
"An essential page in our life will be turned, but we place above all the ASSE institution which, we are convinced, will very quickly find the path of the elite", in particular indicated the leaders of Saint-Etienne.