What is Julien Stephan's win record as a manager as QPR appointment looms | OneFootball

The R's are closing in on the appointment of their new head coach

Following weeks of speculation, Queens Park Rangers are reportedly closing in on the appointment of French head coach, Julien Stephan.

The West London outfit have been one of many clubs in the market for a new boss heading into the upcoming Championship campaign, having placed Marti Cifuentes on gardening leave with a week of last season to go amid speculation that the Spaniard was set to move to divisional rivals, West Bromwich Albion, who would eventually appoint Ryan Mason.

This left many of a Hoops persuasion in the dark regarding expectations for next season, having been guided to two mid-table finishes under Cifuentes after starting both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns in disastrous fashion.

Johannes Hoff Thorup, who was dismissed by Norwich City after less than 12 months in charge at Carrow Road, was heavily linked with the vacancy, but turned the opportunity of taking the reins in W12 down just under two weeks ago.

However, the R's hierarchy have made a breakthrough in their pursuit of Julien Stephan. French journalist, Marc Mechenoua, reports that a two-year contract has been agreed, whilst West London Sport have claimed that an "agreement in principle" has been struck.

With that in mind, Football League World have looked into the 44-year-old's win percentage ahead of the pending move to Loftus Road.

Julien Stephan's win percentage as QPR appointment looms

Stephan's first venture into senior management was in December 2018, as he took charge of Rennes after being the club's 'B Team' manager for a three-year period.

He was the first manager in the club's history to reach the knockout rounds of European competition after taking over from former Nottingham Forest boss, Sabri Lamouchi, winning the Brittany club its first major trophy since 1971 by defeating PSG on penalties in the Coupe de France final, as well as qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the very first time ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Stephan resigned at Roazhon Park in March 2021 amid a dire run of form, winning 48 of his first 107 games in the dugout, before taking his next job at fellow Ligue 1 outfit, RC Strasbourg ahead of the 2021/22 season.

During his first season with the Alsace-based side, the former midfielder guided them to a sixth-place finish for the first time in 42 years, missing out on European qualification by just three points, before his second term at the Stade de la Meinau couldn't have panned out much worse.

Stephan was dismissed on January 12th 2023, having won just one game, drawing nine and losing eight of the opening 18 league games, with Strasbourg cropping up the French top flight at the time.

He made a return to Rennes in November 2023 following the resignation of Bruno Genesio with the club in 13th place, eventually guiding

'Les Rouge et Noirs' to a top-half finish with 46 points, subsequently being rewarded with a new contract deal until 2026.

However, the son of Guy Stephan, Didier Deschamps' assistant with the French national team, was given his P45 just seven months ago after another underwhelming start to a season.

During his six-and-a-half-year managerial career thus far, Stephan has emerged victorious in 86 of his 206 matches on the sideline, leaving him with a win percentage of 41.74%.

Julien Stephan will hope to bring top-flight nous to Loftus Road

Although the Championship and Ligue 1 are two completely different kettles of fish, Stephan will be hoping that his experiences at the top level in his home country will stand him in good stead in West London.

In recent times, Rangers have had to be particularly savvy in the transfer market due to a limited budget, and the new boss will hope he is backed to bring in the adequate quality required to progress the club further after two mixed seasons.

Although confirmation of Stephan's appointment is yet to be made, the R's have recently been linked with Amadou Mbengue and Odeluga Offiah, who impressed in League One for Reading and Blackpool respectively last term, with the latter on loan from Brighton.