Metz dismiss Stéphane Le Mignan as Benoît Tavenot returns to lead survival bid | OneFootball

Bottom of Ligue 1, Metz have parted company with head coach Stéphane Le Mignan after Sunday’s 1-2 defeat at Strasbourg, appointing Benoît Tavenot to steer their survival push.

L'Équipe reports that president Bernard Serin told Le Mignan on Monday he was removing him a little over five months before his contract was due to expire in June. Former assistant to Frédéric Antonetti from 2019 to 2022, Tavenot, 49, will take charge at least until the end of the season and is set to lead training at 17:00 on Tuesday.

Sunday’s loss was Metz’s 12th in 18 league matches, coming a week after a bruising 0-4 Coupe de France exit to Montpellier, a Ligue 2 side, in the round of 32. That tie weighed heavily on decision-makers, including Serin and sporting director Frédéric Arpinon.

The hierarchy had already contemplated a change in late October, even speaking to Antoine Kombouaré, but abandoned the idea after three straight wins over Lens 2-0, Nantes 2-0 and Nice 2-1.

Early 2026 brought a deeper shock, set against a rift between Le Mignan and part of the dressing room. Tavenot was dismissed by Bastia in October 2025, with the club bottom of Ligue 2 at the time, and has now been chosen by Serin and the sporting department after more than a week of searching to attempt a perilous escape.

Source: L'Équipe