Departure imminent!

Well, it’s a well-known story in the modern game : a good player comes through the ranks of a mid-table side, playing well, and before he’s managed to lift the team that fed him to greater success, he’s already leaving for greener pastures. Rennes isn’t an exception to this rule, and with the best youth structure in France (according to the French League), Rennes is particularly prone to this kind of separation. As the transfer season gets closer, newspapers across the Channel, the Alps and the Pyrenees are looking more and more insistently at potential transfer targets. And suddenly, they realised that Rennes wasn’t too bad, and perhaps had a player or two that might be heading towards a bigger pay check.

Mbia, Mensah and Didot or : How I learnt to stop worrying and love the transfer market.

At first I didn’t want to listen to them. But now they’re just there so much I’m starting to think that they must have some kind of truth. After all, as the French say : there isn’t smoke without a fire. So, here’s a quick recap on potential leavers and newcomers over the summer months at Rennes.

Going out :

Stéphane Mbia : A very solid defensive midfielder, this 21 year-old player boosted his transfer market value over the past 12 months. The second half of Rennes’ season last year was great, and he was a regular feature in the team. This season started just as well until it all went amok. Luckily for Mbia, he left quickly for the African Cup of Nations where he impressed, starting several games for a Cameroonian side that started slowly, but found fine form and ended up only losing in the final to a very impressive Egyptian squad. Mbia’s main performance was against Tunisia, when he scored a double including the extra-time winner in a 3-2 win that opened the doors to the semi-final clash with hosts Ghana.

Mbia has been announced a bit all over the place. Lyon have frequently appeared, but they appear as soon as a player is good in Ligue 1, so I don’t know if it’s any real interest. What’s more, with Ederson, Juninho, Toulalan, Bodmer and Källström… When would Mbia play? Other names that have been kicking around are foreign : Barcelona (Perhaps after the 4 “fantasticos” they want a bit more midfield muscle…), Manchester United (Another Kleberson, or Keane’s heir?), Manchester City (Since he was seen in Manchester, both clubs sprung up, and I think this one is the more logical of the two.), Arsenal (You know Arsene loves his young Africans…), Liverpool (Umm… Why not? They’ve got loads of midfielders, so it’s possible.), and “an Italian Club” (I’m thinking it’s Juventus, since they’re rebuilding, and all that whatnot.).

So, he’s got some big clubs following him, and his transfer pay-out might be just as impressive. Sky Sports talked about £10 Million, and other sources have ranged from £5M to £7M… Needless to say that I’d be sad to see him leave… For anything less.

John Mensah : The strong central midfielder that has been such a great player for Ghana and Rennes decided to stay put last year, despite the departure of Melchiot. However, this year it looks like he’s intent on moving on. And yet… It’s quite unclear who wants him. Last year, Lyon were said to be hot on his tracks, as were a certain number of English, Spanish and Italian sides. Now it seems that the only club that’s really interested are… Celtic. I haven’t got anything against Celtic, but I think he might be just a little better than SPL duels week in week out. After all, he was the captain of the Ghana side that just finished 3rd in the ACN, and is regularly ranked as one of the best defenders in Ligue 1. It’s a bit of a pity that a player with such quality will not play at a club worthy of his talent as he turns 26…

Etienne Didot : Last year, he was the player that made everybody forget about Yoann Gourcuff’s departure for AC Milan. And even earlier this season, he was Rennes’ best midfielder (alongside Leroy). But since November, it’s all gone downhill very, very quickly. First of all, 8 losses in a row, and showings that became worse and worse. Then, a manager change for Lacombe, who obviously doesn’t believe in him. Hence games on the bench, or even watching some games on TV… A Brittany boy who always lived and loved Rennes, it’s a hard time for Didot, who seems to realise that Lacombe doesn’t want him around, yet wants to stay. He’s been replaced by another wizz kid from Rennes’ youth sides (Lemoine), and now plays out of position or only as a sub. He’s 24, and was a 1st team regular last season, so he’s understandably disappointed, especially since he turned down offers to leave in January… I like Didot, but it’s pretty clear that Lacombe thinks he’s expendable, and the ex-future France midfielder will be heading to a new club soon. Paris, Monaco and Bordeax were very interested last summer and in January, but I think that there might be a few other clubs that haven’t chimed in yet that’ll be very involved for his signature.

Simon Pouplin : I don’t believe it. I think Luzi’s the one that’s closer to leaving. But the newspapers seem to think that Lacombe has fell out with Pouplin, and wants to get a new shot-stopped in… Instead of Pouplin. Pity, I think, because the kid’s only 22, and last season had some great form. Luzi has been decent, but nothing great by anybody’s standards.

Coming in :

A Goalkeeper : Lacombe is apparently not happy at all with Pouplin, and not a lot happier with Luzi. He wants a good shot-stopped between the sticks, and with the money made by selling some players in the summer, he’s hoping to get his #1 target : Mikaël Landreau, currently at PSG. Landreau hasn’t been perfect this season, but then again, PSG isn’t a serene environment either, so his mistakes might be out once he moves to Rennes. Anyway, Lacombe believes that Landreau would be a great signing. I agree with him. I like Pouplin, but at only 22, I think Pouplin should be a kind of “super-sub”, not a first team regular. Landreau would help Pouplin get better, and bring his awesome technique and experience to Rennes. So that would be a very good move. Only hitch… I’m not sure PSG will be willing to let one of their few “star” players leave. If PSG go down, then I doubt Landreau will do a Buffon and stick with them, but there’ll be loads of clubs (including his beloved Nantes, I bet) vying for his signature… If PSG stay up, will they be willing to let a player of such importance leave when they’re saying they’re “building” for the future? Anyway, I can’t really see how Lacombe hopes to get PSG to part with Landreau except for a large (and I mean ridiculously large) sum of cash. So, who else is Lacombe looking at? Well, the second prospects are a lot less exciting : Teddy Rinert and Charles Itandje. Don’t get me wrong, I’d like either of them to replace Luzi, and they’d still be my #1 choices, but they’d only be a little ahead of Pouplin. So I hope Lacombe won’t splash too much cash to get them.

A striker : There’s no doubt Rennes need another striker (Pagis just isn’t good enough) to help Briand break down opposing defences. But when I look at the players Lacombe wants to bring in, I’m scared. In fact, I’m so scared I’ll only name his #1 choice. Amara Diané. Yep. Amara Diané. Need I say more? Nope. This is just not the right way to think about buying a striker.

A defender : Lacombe hasn’t talked much about transfers, but with Mensah going out, Fanni’s injury, and Traoré only being loaned to Rennes, there’s no doubt Rennes need a defender. And a good one. Hansson is decent, but if we’re going to fight for a Champions League or UEFA spot, we need two better central defenders. Hilton has been linked to various clubs, including (but not limited to) Rennes, and a few other players that had decent games in L1 were suddenly linked to Rennes… But there’s nothing serious, I feel. Rennes also need two wing-back cover players. Fanni is excellent, and Echiejilé is very good, but there’s nobody to cover if they’re injured (Fanni’s injury has meant that Mbia and Danzé, both central midfielders, have played as right-backs…). Traoré’s loan has helped out, but Rennes will need to choose : either they buy him, or they buy another player. And that’s just one of the two wings…

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