Strasbourg have confirmed the appointment of Hugo Oliveira as the club’s new head coach, replacing Gary O’Neil.
Chelsea’s BlueCo-owned sister club were left without a head coach when O’Neil departed at the end of last season to take over at Ipswich.
A goalkeeping coach by trade, the 47-year-old Oliveira only took on his first full-time managerial role in 2024, helming Portuguese side Famalicao to an impressive fifth-place finish in Liga Portugal.
Standard Sport understands Oliveira turned down interest from a number of European clubs to join Strasbourg. BlueCo consider him to be among football’s most exciting up-and-coming coaches and were impressed by his record of developing young talent throughout his career. He counts Jan Oblak and Ederson among his proteges, having worked with both at Benfica.
Former Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy is said to have been considered as an option, but BlueCo plumped for Oliveira and reportedly paid Famalicao a €2m (£1.7m) fee to secure his services.
“It’s an honour to be here in Strasbourg and to join such a wonderful project,” he told the club’s website after signing. “I want to bring emotion, create memories, and give my all to help the club continue to grow.”
Oliveira will be tasked with returning Strasbourg to European competition after they narrowly missed out on qualifying under O’Neil and were knocked out of the Conference League semi-finals. He will bring a brand of all-action attacking football to the club, featuring high possession and an aggressive press.
Despite only having held one full-time managerial role, Oliveira has plenty of coaching experience behind him. He took his first coaching job in the academy setup of USC Paredes in 2002 and later spent time at Benfica, where he is credited with developing Jan Oblak and Ederson. Other posts include the Portuguese national team and Gil Vicente.
Hugo Oliveira nommé entraineur du Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace 🆕💙
— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace (@RCSA) July 12, 2026
Le communiqué 👇
Oliveira later served as a faithful assistant to Marco Silva. The pair worked together for seven years in successful spells at four English clubs - Hull City, Watford, Everton and, most recently, Fulham, which Oliveira departed in 2024.
Reports in Portugal suggested Fulham had considered him as an option to replace Silva this summer after he moved to Benfica, though the Cottagers ultimately moved for ex-Real Madrid man Alvaro Arbeloa.
