Football Season Guide

In finishing fifth in Ligue 1 last season, Rennes enjoyed their best position for more than a decade and will go back into Europe after an absence of several years. For a club that has enjoyed significant investment in recent times, it is the least they expect and something they will be at least aiming to replicate over the coming 12 months. Last term was something of a rollercoaster after they made such a poor start to the season, yet the impact of Sabri Lamouchi since he arrived in November was almost entirely positive and they will be aiming to maintain the momentum into the new season. They have, however, lost a couple of important starters in their squad. Joris Gnagnon was a rock in the heart of their defence, while Wahbi Khazri was a key offensive player for them. On the other hand, they have also got the significant wage of Yoann Gourcuff off their books after an injury-hit spell at the club. Their replacements have all been like for like and all arrive from Ligue 1 rivals. Damien Da Silva will plug the gap in the defence while Jordy Siebatcheu has joined up after a prolific season in the second flight with Reims. Clement Grenier should represent an upgrade on Gourcuff – or at least a player who can feature more regularly. Additionally, with Sweden international Jakob Johansson and Romain Del Castillo, a France Under-21 international, arriving from Lyon, they arguably have more depth than before. Rennes have not significantly improved their squad over the close season, but realistically, they were unlikely to be able to invest the kind of sums to challenge for the top three. However, they have a solid squad throughout. There is no area of clear weakness in Lamouchi’s ranks while there is scope to get more from players like Diafra Sakho, Ismaila Sarr and Faitout Maouassa.