His smile radiated the entire press room during his presentation. The journalists were quickly under the spell of Jota, a 25-year-old angel with a thin, expertly maintained mustache. With the departure of Bourigeaud, the boy has everything to become the new darling of Roazhon Park, even more than Gronbaek. But, if the Norwegian has to learn classic lawns, after having worn out the synthetic ones in Scandinavia, the Portuguese just needs to refresh his skills physically. After a chaotic 2023-24 season.
Express integration
Recruited €30 million by the Saudis from Al-Ittihad, he was removed, after five matches, from the list of foreign players able to play in the league, the Italian Luiz Felipe having been preferred… He played a few matches in the spring . This period of forced inactivity, between September 2023 and March 2024, is still dragging him down. And this, even if the increase in power is perceptible. Scorer in Brest (1-1), he started, for the first time, against Le Havre (1-0). With an agreement that can still be improved with Adrien Truffert, but full of promise. The Portuguese goes low to defend, allowing the Olympic vice-champion to shoot crosses. “These position reversals may be surprising. With training and matches, we will get to know each other, to have this mutual trust, to know our preferences, our qualities. We will manage to create automatisms,” underlines the left side.
Looking for leaders since the summer, has Julien Stephan found one in Jota? “That, I don’t know. To express yourself collectively, you have to feel individually at 100%, find your full potential on a physical and technical level, and your rhythm too. The next few weeks should allow him to do so,” says his coach, who appreciates his rapid integration. “At 25, he has already visited Spain, Scotland and Saudi Arabia. He is very open, intelligent, with great language skills. He manages to blend in very well in a new environment. His goal in Brest is also a strong element of integration for him. »
The probable composition
AUXERRE. Léon – Hoever, Diomandé, Jubal (cap), Osho, Mensah – Perrin, Owusu, Danois, Traoré – Ayé. Coach: Christophe Pélissier
RENNES. Mandanda (cap.) – Assignon, Ostigard, Wooh, Truffert – Kamara, Matusiwa – Blas, Gronbaek, Jota – Kalimuendo. Coach: Julien Stephan.
Referee: Gaël Angoula.
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