Steve Mandanda is pushed out again by Jorge Sampaoli. The former goalkeeper of the France team will nevertheless negotiate his end of season according to his wishes.
Stade Rennais has decided to make big changes this winter and this concerns in particular the loss of status of Steve Mandanda. Already ejected by Jorge Sampaoli when he was a captain at Olympique de Marseille, the French goalkeeper is preparing to suffer the same fate in Rennes. The Argentine coach is not counting on him and wants to rejuvenate his squad with a more decisive element, Mandanda being one of the least effective goalkeepers in Ligue 1 this season. Brice Samba is targeted and should therefore push the 2018 world champion to the start. But things will not necessarily go as planned in Rennes. If Lens slows down a little regarding the arrival of Samba, Mandanda will perhaps not leave his place as easily as the Breton leaders would have hoped.
Mandanda number 2 or number 3 in Rennes?
Indeed, according to L'Equipe, the goalkeeper trained at HAC has planned to meet the Rennes leaders at the beginning of January, but he would have no intention of sitting out the last six months of his contract. At 39, Mandanda can still make an impact in the locker room, for good or bad, and he does not plan to leave in January even though he is under contract until the end of the season. And a gala contract for a goalkeeper of this age, which also explains why he is not rushing to leave Ille-et-Vilaine in the first days of January. It remains to be seen whether Mandanda will be sidelined with the arrival of Brice Samba, or whether he will take the status of replacement goalkeeper in front of the current number 2, Gauthier Gallon.
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