Rennes said late Monday that Sampaoli signed a 1 & 1/2-year contract. Sampaoli, who was in charge of Argentina at the 2018 World Cup, replaces Julien Stephan, who was dismissed last week. Rennes is looking for a jolt after a mediocre spell that saw the team slump to 13th place in the standings, 18 points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after 11 matches.