In bad shape in Ligue 1, Stade Rennais called on Jorge Sampaoli to rectify the situation. The Argentine coach is already targeting two former protégés including ex-Olympique de Marseille player Gerson to strengthen the Breton squad.
After the calm Julien Stéphan, Rennes opted for the fiery Jorge Sampaoli. Arriving with three of his assistants in Brittany, the Argentine coach will have to quickly find a solution to get the club out of its current crisis.
To rectify the situation and do better than the 13th place in the ranking where Rennes is languishing, the technician would have requested the arrival of two well-targeted reinforcements during the winter transfer window according to information from the Brazilian media Globo Esporte.
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Sampaoli knows Gerson well
Favorite of Jorge Sampaoli who had already brought him to Marseille in July 2021 before also directing him to Flamengo in 2023, Gerson would now find himself in the sights of the Breton club. However, no concrete proposal would have been made to Club Carioca to recruit the player under contract until December 2027. The collaboration between the two men on the OM side had not really borne fruit.
Bought for nearly 20 million euros by the Marseille club, the midfielder did not leave a lasting memory in Ligue 1. Despite significant playing time and honorable statistics (13 goals and 10 assists in 61 matches in all competitions combined), Gerson finally left OM a few months after the departure of Jorge Sampaoli for nearly 15 million euros.
Rennes on the ranks of another Brazilian international
The other name mentioned by the Brazilian press to strengthen Rennes is a partner of Gerson at Flamengo. Like the former Olympian midfielder, Fabricio Bruno knows Jorge Sampaoli having played under his orders in Brazilian D1. At 28 years old, the central defender is in good form with his club. To the point of knowing his first two selections with the Seleçao in March 2024.
If the idea of a reunion with Jorge Sampaoli could interest him, Fabricio Bruno had already been the subject of interest from Rennes during the summer transfer window according to information from Globo Esporte.
The Breton club would then have offered nearly 14 million euros to recruit the neo-international Auriverde before finally opting for the Senegalese Barça Mikayil Faye after an initial refusal from Flamengo to let go of its central which extended until December 2028 at the start of the year.
