AS Saint-Étienne’s season cannot be characterised as anything other than a failure. Back in the summer of 2024, following their promotion back to Ligue 1, there was significant investment, but the club ultimately dropped back into Ligue 2.
Despite that, the star recruits from the previous summer, Lucas Stassin and Zuriko Davitashvili, were retained, somewhat against the odds. The expectation was for an immediate return to France’s top-flight.
However, that objective was at risk mid-season. It saw Saint-Étienne opt for a managerial change and Philippe Montanier came in for Erik Horneland. Despite the managerial change, Les Verts failed to secure promotion.
Having narrowly missed out on automatic promotion after being pipped by Le Mans FC, they came up against OGC Nice in the promotion/ relegation playoff. After drawing the first leg (0-0), they lost the second leg 4-1 at the Allianz Riviera.
Montanier is set to leave ASSE, as per a report from L’Équipe. His contract with the club was up at the end of the season and an agreement over a renewal was not found.
