Chelsea, Benfica, Manchester United… Nemanja Matic has been navigating the elite of European football for many years. At 35, the Serbian international midfielder (48 caps, 2 goals) has a resounding CV, he who followed José Mourinho to AS Roma last year. The kind of CV that we are not used to seeing in the “arrivals” column at Stade Rennes, we must admit. And even more generally in the French championship, apart from PSG.
Still, Florian Maurice and the Rennes leaders have managed the feat of attracting Matic. Two-year contract. A big hit and a big surprise. “I don’t see this as a surprise, corrects the person concerned. I am happy and proud to be part of this club, of this project. I played in big clubs during my career, but I chose Rennes because it is the right club for me at this point in my career.
And to add: “There are difficult decisions to be made but I felt that it was time to take on a new challenge. I have to be honest and say that Roma is a great club, with a great coach, everyone at the club has always been good to me, the fans, but I liked the Rennes project and I think I will be important here I can help. I am happy to be here”, explained the native of Sabac on Thursday at a press conference, who will be 36 on August 1 and who kicked into touch when it came to a potential Parisian attempt to put him the grapple on it.
Rennes, a club that wants to… dream bigger. Not by competing with PSG, of course. But aiming for a place on the podium. After two seasons finished in fourth position in Ligue 1, “the ambition is to go higher”, insists the technical director of Rennes, Florian Maurice. “And to go higher, you have to manage to contract players of this dimension”, he assures, seeing in the signature of Matic a symbol. “It shows that the club is moving forward, growing and giving itself the means to do things well”, promises the ex-French international, who had already “made important international transfers of this type” when he was in charge of sport. of OL. “But this one is very special because a player who has such experience, such a career, bringing him to Rennes shows a lot of things,” he savors. Recall that Rennes finished third in Ligue 1 in 2020, its best ranking so far, a year after the Coupe de France.
The Rennes project is no different, however. Always the training bonus. But François Pinaut’s club is clearly not into excessive trading. “I felt the ambition of the people at the club, of the coach (Génésio). I like the direction the club is taking. It was the club’s project that attracted me, ”says Matic, also the club’s first Serbian player since… Goran Pandurovic, who passed through Brittany between 1995 and 1998. Still, to aim for the podium, and therefore a place in the Champions League next season when the first four have qualified, Stade Rennes does not necessarily need to sell its best players.
Lovro Majer in Wolfsburg? It was not a management choice, but the Croatian international expressed the wish to leave. And his departure had been anticipated with the recruitment of Enzo Le Fée (ex-Lorient). “It is not the priority of the club to buy to resell. The owner tells me quite often: he wants us to win. And we win with good players, ”says Maurice, believing that sporting objectives take precedence over financial objectives at Roazhon Park.
It should be noted that the transfer of Matic did not ruin the management: Stade Rennes would have spent a little more than €2 million to secure the services of its new number 21. Contract until 2025. “He will still pass things” in the transfer window, recognizes Florian Maurice while the Belgian international winger Jérémy Doku is courted in England for example. One thing is certain: Rennes were not mistaken in betting on Le Fée (€20m) and Ludovic Blas (ex-Nantes, €15m). Two sure values of our championship. All while retaining Amine Gouiri, Benjamin Bourigeaud (promoted captain after the departure of Hamari Traoré), Adrien Truffert and another Arnaud Kalimuendo, not to mention the always dashing veteran Steve Mandanda.
It remains to be seen what we are entitled to expect from Nemanja Matic at this stage of his career. Looking at his resume, expectations are bound to be high. “After my career, given the clubs I played in, it’s normal that people have a lot of expectations. But I’ve always known that, in all my clubs, so it’s not a problem or a pressure, more an opportunity to show what I can do. I’m a small part of the team and if I can help that would be great. I am happy that people see me as a good player and I will try to show them that they are right”, indicated the interested party, praised for his modesty and his behavior by Florian Maurice, who sees in him a captain of locker room, but not only. In the Europa League, his presence will not hurt … “When we recruit a player of this size, we expect him to bring in the big matches, but even the slightly more delicate meetings”, he slips , describing a player who “will blend into the dressing room”.
In the field, Matic is in any case preparing to take the shock of cultures in the face. To say that Bruno Genesio does not have exactly the same approach to football as the very defensive José Mourinho is an understatement. However, he played under the orders of the Portuguese 209 times between Chelsea, MU and Roma. “Sometimes you have to make tough decisions. I have a great relationship with him, he is a great coach, I had him in three clubs. But once again, I am very happy to be in Rennes and I can’t wait to start training and playing, ”underlines the neo-Rennes, also ensuring that he is in perfect condition. And to add, on Mourinho / Genesio: “It will not be a problem to adapt to the game of the coach. I have a long career, I haven’t only played for Mourinho… I’ve known other coaches. José is known for his defense, but he also likes to attack sometimes (smiles). I have the way our coach wants to play and the face of the team. I thought about it before signing, I made the right decision.
It is up to him to show that the Rennes leaders have also taken the right step by betting on him. From this Sunday (8:45 p.m.), for the shock of the second day between Rennes and the vice-champions of France Lensois, in Bollaert? “He is a player who has a lot of experience, so it is easier for him and for us to integrate and integrate him. Everything went very well. Now he still needs to find some rhythm. I think he can participate in the match, but perhaps not play the entirety, ”explained coach Genesio at a press conference on Friday, he who had been demanding despite the 5-1 card against Metz during the first lift.
And the Rennes coach continued: “We wanted experience, technique, size too. We have the three criteria met. It was an opportunity and a chance for Stade Rennes to recruit such a player. I’m not sure that a player of such status would have been interested in the sports project three, four or five years ago… That’s what he put forward. It shows that the club has grown and continues to grow”, he assures, he who says he is “always fond of questioning this kind of player about their experience, the coaches they have known”. On this subject, Matic must have a lot of things to tell… He will no doubt also have questions to ask his new coach, he who imagines a future on the benches. “That’s the plan but I’m focused on playing. I feel good. I am 35 years old but I have the feeling that I still have a few good years to play”, promises the triple champion of England (2010, 2015, 2017). Chick?
