Stade Rennais face an uphill task in convincing Nemanja Matić to remain in Brittany just six months after signing the veteran midfielder. The former Serbian international has submitted a transfer request and wishes to be out the door in January, and while this might signal the end of his story in Rennes, with French clubs circling the waters, his time in France might not yet be over.
Matić’s performances as a deep-creative force at the base of the midfield have generally been impressive, in an otherwise disappointing season for Les Rouges et Noirs. The elder statesman has a metronomic quality to his play that has in flashes helped an incredibly young side express their qualities.
However, these moments are too few and far between, as Rennes have suffered from inconsistency and defensive fragility, which has left the team off the pace and sat in tenth at the halfway point of the season. This appears not to have been what the midfielder was promised when he joined the club as he has become disillusioned with his short stay in Brittany.
Rennes’ broken promises
On arrival, Matić expressed how much he ‘liked the ambition shown by the people here and by the head coach [Bruno Génésio] in particular.’ There was an admiration almost of the stability of the project he would be joining, and yet this season has been anything but stable. By November, the manager he appreciated was gone, and a misunderstanding over the availability of an international school where he could enrol his children (who cannot speak French), has only added to his feeling that what was sold to him has not been delivered.
It would certainly be a shame for Rennes to lose a player like Matić when they have a series of daunting tasks stretched ahead of them. Recovering from their poor start to the season and a difficult Europa League tie against AC Milan without their midfield general would be a far more challenging prospect for Les Rouges et Noirs than if they could keep him. And yet, repairing a damaged relationship and keeping their player out of the hands of rival French sides might well prove to be the more demanding of problems facing the club in this new year.
GFFN | Nick Hartland
