Nantes hired Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso on Wednesday to succeed Claudio Ranieri.
Cardoso, 46, was in charge of Rio Ave last season as the club finished fifth in the Primeira Liga and earned a spot in the Europa League.
Formerly an assistant for Braga, Sporting Lisbon and Shakhtar Donetsk, Cardoso signed a two-year contract with Nantes.
Ranieri, the former Leicester City and Chelsea boss, announced last month that he was leaving Nantes after one season following a ninth-place finish.