"QPR’s Julien Stéphan calls Championship the world’s toughest league"

Julien Stéphan had been enjoying his time away from football for nearly two months when his wife finally urged him back into action. “She told me: ‘I hope you return to managing soon—very soon—because I want to see you on the sidelines again, back where you belong,’” said the new Queens Park Rangers head coach.

Stéphan departed Rennes for the second time last November and used the break to spend time with his two children while watching 20 to 25 matches per week, waiting for the right opportunity. That came last month when he replaced Martí Cifuentes, who left for Leicester, at Loftus Road. The pause after six relentless years in management—during which he took Rennes to the Champions League for the first time and led Strasbourg to their highest Ligue 1 finish since 1980—was much needed.

“You have to take time for yourself and your family,” Stéphan said. “But you also need to analyze the game, study different leagues, and reflect on your past work while planning ahead. It’s important to envision the future.”

QPR fans hope the club, long stuck in the lower half of the Championship, can reclaim past success under Stéphan. The 44-year-old is aware of the team’s history, including their fifth-place finish in the first Premier League season with Les Ferdinand as their leading scorer. But he insists the focus must stay on the present to navigate what he calls “possibly the toughest league in the world.”

“I respect QPR’s history, but we’re in a new phase,” he said. “Honoring the past matters, but so does building for the future. Everyone—players, staff, executives, owners, and club legends—has a part to play.”

He added: “Fans expect maximum effort, and we must establish a strong identity. Results will vary, but commitment is non-negotiable.”

Since his appointment, Stéphan has been too occupied to settle into his new home near QPR’s stadium or explore the area. “It’s been nonstop work—hotel, training ground, sessions,” he said.

Currently at a preseason camp in Girona, Stéphan and his staff, including assistant Alou Diarra, a former West Ham, Charlton, and France midfielder, are preparing for the Championship season’s start on August 9. “This is just the beginning,” he said.