Galtier extends Saint-Etienne contract

Christophe Galtier has extended his contract as coach of Saint-Etienne by three seasons, the French first division club announced on Thursday.

The 44-year-old took over as first team coach from Alain Perrin in December 2009, having arrived at the club as Perrin’s assistant in November 2008.

Despite having been in charge of first-team affairs since the end of last year, Galtier was only tied to the club by his original contract as an assistant coach, which was due to expire in June 2011.

“It’s an important decision to bring stability and put the club on a long-term footing,” club president Roland Romeyer told the Saint-Etienne website.

Galtier took Saint-Etienne, 10-time French champions, to the top of Ligue 1 earlier this season, but a subsequent nine-game winless streak has seen them sink to seventh in the table, six points behind new leaders Lille.