The rag burns between Rennes and Albert Grønbaek

July 15, 2024, Stade Rennais proudly announces the signing of Albert Grønbaek for five years. The Breton club managed, in fact, to get ahead of the competition to recruit the Danish hopeful midfielder for a check for €15 million. It must be said that the player was coming off two good seasons in Norway with Bodø/Glimt. As soon as he arrived, the new Rennes number 7 clearly set the tone. “I am arriving in a better league, in a club with very high level players. I know that the French championship is tougher, I have to have confidence in myself, I know that I can integrate into this new environment. It’s a great opportunity for me, I’m very happy to arrive at a very competitive club, renowned for its support of young people in particular.”

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Under the leadership of Julien Stephan who integrated him directly into his starting lineup, Grønbaek made a promising debut without being exceptional under the Red and Black colors. In October, shortly before a pre-match press conference against Monaco, he ensured that he was still at his best to help him adapt to his new environment. “I feel very good. It's been two months now, I have French lessons every week, I'm starting to understand well. I hope to be able to speak French soon. I was very well received, by everyone, by the coach. I feel well integrated on the pitch, I feel that they want to make me feel good and that’s nice.” However, like most of his teammates, the Danish midfielder is struggling to shine in a team in great difficulty and with a coach who has already lost part of his locker room. Stephan disembarked, Grønbaek sees Jorge Sampaoli disembark at the beginning of November. The results are not much better and the Breton club continues to sink into crisis.

Already leads in England and Germany for Albert Grønbaek

Obviously, the Rennes project does not live up to the hopes of the Danish neo-international who saw Stade Rennais as an ideal springboard for the Premier League or the Bundesliga like many players who passed through Roazhon Park before him. Full of good will, Grønbaek plays on the left, in the center or even on the right as during Sampaoli's debut against LOSC. But nothing works and the former Bodø/Glimt player is far from giving his full potential. According to our information, he even informally indicated to his management that he already wanted to leave Brittany this winter. Chance or coincidence, Stade Rennais, under the leadership of an Arnaud Pouille more angry than ever after yet another poor performance in the Coupe de France against Troyes, placed the native of Risskov in a loft like Another summer recruit signed Frederic Massara, namely midfielder Glen Kamara, goalkeeper No. 3 Gauthier Gallon and the undesirable Baptiste Santamaria.

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A situation that is anything but predictable for the man who was supposed to carry the game at Stade Rennais and embody the new project initiated by Massara. Result, Albert Grønbaek (2 goals and 1 assist in 16 Ligue 1 matches) symbolizes the recruitment errors of the Breton club's summer transfer window. A casting error which should not cause any harm in Brittany as the player's value has not really suffered from these chaotic first months on the banks of La Vilaine. Moreover, some English and German clubs have already obtained some information. To be continued.