The sporting relationship between Steve Mandanda and Jorge Sampaoli is not in good shape. So much so that the Stade Rennais coach wants his club to find a replacement for him at all costs. And this, starting this winter.
Steve Mandanda is warned. At 39, he wears the captain’s armband of Stade Rennais and is considered an indisputable leader in the locker room. However, it is far from meeting Jorge Sampaoli’s demands. Arriving a little over a month ago to replace Julien Stéphan, the Argentinian technician has already experienced some tensions with the 2018 world champion during his season on the OM bench. Fears of seeing Mandanda downgraded were therefore justified. But at a time when the Rennes coach has no other choice than to use him as a starting goalkeeper, he has informed his management that he wants a completely different profile in this position.
Steve Mandanda replaced by a former Ligue 1 player?
According to information from West FranceJorge Sampaoli asked his leaders to be active in the winter transfer market to find a replacement for Steve Mandanda. At the end of his contract next June, the current captain of the Breton club will not return. Sampaoli would therefore like to begin the transition with a new goalkeeper from January. Kept informed of his intention, Mandanda is already preparing to have less playing time once a successor is recruited. Several avenues have already been studied by the Rennes management. The regional daily gives as an example the name of Walter Benitez, formerly of OGC Nice and current goalkeeper of PSV Eindhoven, would have been proposed to the Rouge et Noir.
The Argentine goalkeeper, champion of the Netherlands with his club last season, will be at the end of his contract next June. It is therefore not excluded that PSV will negotiate his departure in January in order to obtain financial compensation. Strong on his line and in the air, Walter Benitez is a fan of short passes. So many arguments which lead us to believe that he would fit perfectly into Jorge Sampaoli’s playing system.
