8 defeats in 10 games: Ahmed Kantari sacked by Nantes, Vahid Halilhodzic to return? | OneFootball

Nantes have sacked Ahmed Kantari after eight defeats in 10 Ligue 1 matches. According to Le Progres, 73-year-old Vahid Halilhodzic could return and should arrive this evening to finalise terms after renewed contact since Sunday.

Nantes are 17th on 17 points. Kantari only took over in mid-December and a 1-0 defeat to Angers on Saturday left his fate near certain.

A club great as a 1980s striker, Halilhodzic previously led Nantes in 2018-2019, replacing Miguel Cardoso in early October after eight rounds and staying to season’s end. Since a three-year stint with Morocco he had kept a low profile in retirement.

Nantes are again heading for a three-coach season, and a return would make Halilhodzic the 22nd different appointment since the Kita family’s 2007 takeover, excluding caretakers.

This season little has worked for president Waldemar Kita and deputy CEO Franck Kita. A failed summer window undermined Luis Castro, who departed after 15 rounds without time to deliver the culture shift he was hired for.

Kantari’s appointment drew scepticism given his lack of Ligue 1 experience. An active winter, six arrivals and five exits, failed to ignite, with Ali Youssef, Mohamed Kaba and Deiver Machado establishing themselves, Abakar Sylla and Ibrahima Sissoko dropped, and Rémy Cabella used as a luxury option.

Nantes are two points behind 16th-placed Auxerre. If confirmed, Halilhodzic’s first match would be Strasbourg on 22 March, then pivotal trips to Metz and Auxerre. With relations at La Beaujoire strained, what levers he could pull is unclear.

Source: Le Progres