Julien Lachuer faces weighty legacy at Brest after Éric Roy’s death | OneFootball

Julien Lachuer has been promoted to Brest head coach after Éric Roy’s death from cancer on 17 June, as the club enter an eighth straight top-flight season.

At his media return on Friday at the training centre, after early bonding work including land yachting and French Navy drills, he set a sober tone. As reported by L'Équipe, he accepted it will be hard to surpass Roy, called the loss a shock, and said he feels ready and courageous to honour him.

The 49-year-old, formerly goalkeeping coach then assistant and a BEPF graduate in 2025, takes charge for the first time. He said this pathway had been considered after sporting director Grégory Lorenzi left, with Roy due a wider brief, but different plans followed his passing.

With neither Lorenzi nor Roy now in place, recruitment falls to Christophe Le Roux and Jules Diatta alongside Lachuer. Brest have seen six departures, Junior Diaz, Soumaïla Coulibaly, Dina Ebimbe, Daouda Guindo, Rémy Labeau-Lascary and Radoslaw Majecki, and one arrival, young keeper Noé Poillion, with limited means.

Targets include a centre-back, a box-to-box midfielder, a left-sided wide forward and a number two goalkeeper behind Grégoire Coudert. Coudert is among players with only a year left, alongside Ajorque, Chardonnet, Locko, Lala, Magnetti, Tousart, Del Castillo and Baldé.

Lachuer hopes the group align around a survival objective and the emergence of academy talent. He said this had been discussed with Lorenzi, who regretted giving youth too little weight, and that staff have reorganised to reap benefits soon.

Source: L'Équipe