Benoît Tavenot’s six-month Metz gamble for Ligue 1 survival | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Benoît Tavenot joined Metz in January on a six-month contract on a modest salary, with survival in Ligue 1 the brief.

His previous deal at Bastia ran to June after a two-year agreement signed in summer 2024, having arrived from Dijon in National. Bastia, bottom of Ligue 2, dismissed him on 30 October.

The former assistant to Frédéric Antonetti, notably at Metz from 2019 to 2022, returned on 20 January to take charge of the Grenats, replacing the sacked Stéphane Le Mignan. The agreement includes an automatic extra year if Metz stay up.

His pay is €25,000 gross per month, well below typical Ligue 1 levels, with a sizeable bonus if the team avoid relegation. Even in the event of a drop, depending on how the season unfolds, he could remain in post in Ligue 2.

That scenario would also depend on discipline. On 24 January 2025, while at Bastia, he grabbed opposing defender Jordy Gaspar by the shirt in a touchline tussle during a 1-1 draw with Pau, earning a 12-match ban, eight to be served.

Since arriving at Metz he has been calmer and clear-eyed about his side’s flaws, and has communicated adroitly with supporters. That could count in his favour.

Source: L'Équipe