Ipswich Town's Championship rivals QPR have confirmed their managerial switch ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
The R's, who finished 15th in the second tier last season, placed Marti Cifuentes on gardening leave after it was reported that his representatives had been in contact with West Brom regarding their vacancy.
It's believed that he was not even on the Baggies' final shortlist, with Ryan Mason appointed instead.
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Following that situation, QPR announced their decision to part company with the Spaniard last night before confirming Julian Stephan as their new manager.
The 44-year-old has only ever worked in France, with previous spells at Rennes and Strasbourg. He helped the former qualify for the Champions League while guiding the latter to their highest league finish since 1980.
Marti Cifuentes was sacked by QPR last night (Image: PA)
At Rennes, he also won the 2018/19 Coupe de France, beating PSG on penalties as they won the cup for the first time since 1971.
“I feel very proud and excited to join QPR,” Stephan said.
“QPR is a historic club with strong values and passionate fans, so I feel honoured.
“I wanted to come here because I know there's a lot of passion around the club and around the team, and I feel very lucky to discover that.
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“There is something unique about English football. The intensity, the atmosphere, the passion of the fans also, the tempo of the game, the culture around the club all make it a very stimulating environment for a coach.”
QPR are yet to do any summer transfer business, although they have sorted new deals for Steve Cook, Sam Field and Jimmy Dunne, with recent reports claiming that they have hijacked Rangers' move for Ipswich-linked Kwame Poku.
They become the ninth Championship club to appoint a new manager since the end of last season following on from Watford (Paulo Pezzolano, May 13), Southampton (Will Still, May 25), West Brom (Ryan Mason, June 2), Norwich (Liam Manning, June 4), Hull (Sergej Jakirovic, June 11), Sheffield United (Ruben Selles, June 18), Bristol City (Gerhard Struber, June 19) and Middlesbrough (Rob Edwards, June 24).