Rennes is a club that has taken on a new dimension with the arrival of Genesio, Maurice and Terrier. In four years, Stade Rennais, a club previously derided for its instability, has become one of the greats of the French league.
It was in December 2018 that the management appointed Julien Stéphan as a professional workforce coach. A coach of the club who had first coached the U19 and then the reserve since 2012. The latter has known the city very well since he was born there in 1980.
His arrival to replace Sabri Lamouchi has not caused much ado in a mid-table club. But, very soon, we will be interested in this coach who leads Rennais to the round of 16 of the Europa League, but above all who will take the Stade Rennais out of a very long period of shortage, without a trophy. Rouge et Noir won in 2019 in the Coupe de France final against the Parisian ogre on penalties.
In Rennes, it’s the click. With little means at his disposal, this manager and his players have just had the best season in club history, if we ignore a 10th place in the league. As we recall, the current Strasbourg manager only arrived in the middle of the season.
Genesio, discreet arrival, attractive results
In the years to follow, Stade Rennais and its management will no longer want to be in the soft underbelly of Ligue 1. The promise made to fans last year, that of a hope to see SRFC among the greats of this French league, will motivate the management and the Pinault family, owner of the club, to provide more financial means, starting from the 2019/2020 season.
And the money will be invested brilliantly: 58.1 million euros from the following season with in particular the arrivals of Raphina, Edouard Mendy or Flavien Tait. This very smart recruitment will reveal itself very quickly, the Brazilian and the Senegalese will very quickly become among the best players in the organic, but also in Ligue 1.
Rennes finally invests in the transfer window
Considerable scouting and recruiting with good catches within the league, a very encouraging game, will bode well for the SRFC. From an accounting point of view the bet is almost perfect, the Rennais get the best result in the history of the club in Ligue 1, they will finish on the 3rd step of the podium and thus discover the Champions League, first in their history.
For the 2020/2021 season the club is reinvesting, thanks to the large sales of Raphina and Mendy, 70 million euros to bring Nayef Aguerd, Martin Terrier and Jérémy Doku, among others. The arrival of the latter is all the more remarkable as it means more than it seems. The young Belgian player was then courted by big European clubs such as Chelsea, but it was Rennes that he had chosen, proof of the new influence of the Breton club.
Terrier that remains, a strong sign
Also noteworthy is the rise of the young team Adrien Truffert summoned last September to the Blues to replace Lucas Digne against Austria and Denmark. The Rennais therefore discover the Champions League with a very strong group, there is the future champion Chelsea, but also Sevilla and Krasnodar. Unfortunately, Stade Rennais will be eliminated from the group stage by finishing 4th.
Note a very high level match at Roazhon Park against the Chelsea Blues, but also a one-goal defeat at Sevilla. However, in the league, the club is experiencing a very disappointing start to 2021, leading to the resignation of manager Julien Stéphan on 1 March. But even in this case, the choice of the coach will be judicious and logical.
Three days later, former Lyon manager Bruno Génésio took over the leadership of the Rennes team. In his first 11 games he recorded 6 wins, a breath of fresh air for a team that needed it. During the 2021/2022 season, Stade Rennais will send a strong message thanks, once again, to his hiring in XXL, the great signing of Gaëtan Laborde (left this summer in Nice), the young and promising Croatian midfielder Lovro Majer, or also with the arrival of the French-Ivorian Loïc Badé (on loan this summer to Nottingham Forest).
A recruitment that is now no longer focused only on young people and potential, but also on experience and talent. On the pitch he is a historic league record with 66 points and an attack that has never been so prolific (82 goals).
Terrier, a new destiny with Genesio
In the Conference League, the Breton club will finish first in their group, notably with a draw at home against Tottenham’s Spurs. They will stop at the gates of the quarterfinals after the controversial double confrontation against Leicester.
The 2022/2023 season seems to be taking shape in the continuity of the last four years with interesting hires (in particular Mandanda (OM), Rodon (loan with a repurchase option of 20 million euros, Tottenham), Kalimuendo (20 million euros, PSG) , Theate (about € 22 million, Bologna), Gouiri (€ 28 million, Nice) or even Wooh (€ 10 million)), a recruitment process led by Florian Maurice.
The Stade Rennais has spent about 80 million against 90 of income. Finally, the only thing missing is the famous box to box environment so sought after. Also the extension of Martin Terrier, one year until 2026, one of the men of last season (3rd scorer in the league with 21 goals), is a big positive point, Stade Rennais managed this time to keep their best players. What dream of a new title and a permanent place in the Champions League?
Fanch Tessier-Merhand
