St Etienne have appointed Oscar Garcia as their new manager on a two-year contract.
Former Brighton and Watford boss Garcia leaves Red Bull Salzburg, whom he led to the Austrian league and cup double during 2015-16 and 2016-17.
"Welcome to Oscar Garcia and his staff at ASSE," St Etienne chairman Bernard Caiazzo told the club's official website. "Many clubs in Europe have congratulated us for having recruited Oscar Garcia.
"ASSE wanted a coach of international dimension capable of producing a beautiful game. Congratulations to [club president] Roland Romeyer and his management team for having, in less than four weeks, obtained the signature of a technician of such good reputation ...
"Roland Romeyer, [sporting director] Dominique Rocheteau and I chose Oscar Garcia because he seems to us to be the man with his staff who best corresponds to the values of the Greens."
[OFFICIEL] @oscargarciaj, nouvel entraîneur des Verts ! ���� �� #CoachOscarGarcia #Bienvenido
➡️ https://t.co/e3kse1T6un pic.twitter.com/PzVOpl71jX- AS Saint-Etienne (@ASSEofficiel) June 15, 2017
St Etienne finished eighth in Ligue 1 and reached the Europa League round-of-32, where they were beaten by Manchester United. They had been linked to a move for France legend Patrick Vieira, who decided to stay at New York City FC.
"We have taken the time to choose a coach capable of taking the club to the next level in its progress," Saint-Etienne president Roland Romeyer said. "We have studied a number of candidates. Oscar Garcia has the ideal profile. He's capable, as shown by his success at Salzburg, but also passionate, experienced and innovative. I'm convinced he'll help ASSE improve.
"He's a man of character who grew up surrounded by a winning culture and good football. We're starting a new development cycle with ambition and enthusiasm."