Luis Castro sacked by Nantes, Ahmed Kantari to take charge until season’s end | OneFootball

Nantes have sacked Luis Castro and his four assistants two days before the derby at Angers, ending a run of only two wins in 15 league matches and 11 points. Ahmed Kantari has been appointed until the end of the season, with confirmation due on Thursday.

According to L'Équipe, the 1-2 defeat by Lens on Saturday left Nantes 17th and prompted the hierarchy to consider a change. An immediate successor could not be secured, with the Will Still option unavailable, and there was briefly talk of leaving Castro the last two matches of the year, aided by Stéphane Ziani, who declined on Monday night.

Castro and his staff prepared for Angers on Tuesday and he held his usual press conference at La Jonelière on Wednesday, rejecting suggestions he had isolated himself. Later, a discussion initiated by Franck Kita brought his tenure to an abrupt close, with concerns he no longer had the energy to reverse the slide.

Nantes moved towards Kantari even before his final approval. Castro, hired from Dunkerque in June for €500,000, was tasked with a stylistic reset built on academy resources and limited means. One win in the first eight matches set the tone, and even a 2-1 victory at Paris FC on 24 October, featuring Matthis Abline’s first goal, did not change momentum.

After the Lens loss, Castro suggested the squad he had validated was not what he expected, using an analogy about cars and a bicycle while stressing it was his job to work with what the club provided. The message displeased the board and recent tactical tweaks failed to stem results. In the last week, Johann Lepenant and Youssef el-Arabi have called for reinforcements, which would have to arrive in January under a new voice.

Source: L'Équipe