Gary O’Neil has been confirmed as the new head coach of Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 club announced on Wednesday, following the departure of Liam Rosenior.
The former Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers manager moves to France after Rosenior exited the Alsace-based side on Tuesday to join Premier League club Chelsea.
Now 42, O’Neil enjoyed a playing career that included stints with Portsmouth and Middlesbrough, and he also featured for England at under-21 level.
“I’m excited to get started and proud to be part of this fantastic club,” O’Neil said in a Strasbourg statement.
“We have an exciting group of players and clear, ambitious objectives for the season.
“My focus is on working hard with the squad to give everything for the club’s success,” he added.
O’Neil inherits a Strasbourg side currently seventh in Ligue 1. The club, French champions once in 1979, have not recorded a league victory since November 9.
Despite domestic struggles, Strasbourg sit top of their Conference League group after wins against opponents including Crystal Palace and Aberdeen.
In his Premier League managerial career, O’Neil ensured Bournemouth’s survival in the top flight and later took charge at Wolves following Julen Lopetegui’s abrupt exit.
He departed Molineux in December 2024 with Wolves in 19th place, having managed only two league wins during the campaign.
O’Neil is set to take charge of his first Strasbourg match on Saturday, when the club travel to face fourth-tier Avranches in the French Cup last-32.
“I am very happy to welcome Gary O’Neil to Racing,” Strasbourg president Marc Keller said.
“He is a demanding and recognised coach, with a modern approach to football that is fully part of the continuity of our sports project,” he added.
Rosenior’s move to Chelsea has sparked controversy due to the shared ownership of both clubs by BlueCo, the consortium that acquired Strasbourg in June 2023.
Supporters have called for Keller’s resignation following Rosenior’s exit, which came shortly after confirmation that club captain Emmanuel Emegha would join Chelsea next season.
Under Rosenior, Strasbourg finished seventh last season, a significant rise from 13th place the year before under Patrick Vieira.
The club’s most recent trophy success came in 2019, when they won the League Cup for the fourth time.
“Liam Rosenior’s move marks yet another humiliating step in Racing’s subservience to Chelsea,” the Strasbourg Supporters’ Federation said on Facebook.
“The problem goes far beyond the mid-season sporting impact and the ambitions of a young coach. It is structural; it is the future of French club football that is at stake.
“Every additional contortion by Marc Keller, every extra minute spent at the helm of the club, is an insult to the tremendous work accomplished before 2023,” it added.
