Transfers in Focus: Enzo Le Fee and Ludovic Blas to Stade Rennais
Two French talents heading to one of the most exciting projects in France.
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France is an incredibly talented nation when it comes to football. Many fans agree that even their third-best team could take on the very best on the international stage.
This quality translates into France’s domestic league as well. Not only do they have incredibly talented foreign players, but there are also several French nationals using Ligue 1 as a proving ground to play their way into Didier Deschamps' plans and also to earn themselves a move to a bigger club.
In most cases, this would be to the top club in their domestic league, Paris Saint Germain, but the Parisian team has not been using the resources available to them.
Kylian Mbappe and Presnel Kimpembe are the only French players who regularly start for the current champions.
In their self-imposed absence, many Ligue 1 clubs have moved to make the most of these talents being available and currently no club is doing better than Stade Rennais.
Amine Gouiri, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Loic Bade are just some of the names that have been brought to Roazhon Park and it seems like this summer is no different as they have signed highly-rated talents Enzo le Fee and Ludovic Blas.
So what will these two players bring to Bruno Genesio’s side and how will they show PSG why they should be dipping into the French market more often? Let’s take a look:
We will start with Enzo le Fee, the darling of data analysts everywhere.
The 23-year-old was the heartbeat of an FC Lorient side that finished in 10th last season; six places and 19 points better off than in the 2021/22 campaign.
Le Fee has been known to play either as the number 10 or more profound as part of a pivot for Lorient. It is unclear where he will be deployed at Rennes, but due to his small stature, pushing him further forward in more physical games may be a tactical choice for Genesio.
However, being 5’6 does not stop Le Fee from being defensively capable. According to FBref, he completes 3.21 tackles per 90 minutes played as well as 1.01 interceptions and 1.49 blocks.
His defensive contributions aside, if you’ve heard of Le Fee before it is probably for what he can offer on the ball and in this regard he is incredibly impressive.
Le Fee averages 6.48 progressive passes per 90 showing how he can break down the opposition but what is more striking is his ability to carry the ball. He averages 2.85 progressive carries and 2.02 successful take on; this level of ball retention will add a new dimension to Rennes’ midfield.
In terms of his goal contributions, he managed five goals and six assists in 35 games, ranking him only behind Dango Outtara and Terem Moffi for Regis Le Bris’ side (both of who departed during the summer window).
Given that this duo played half as many games as Le Fee (18 each), it shows why Le Fee can’t be the only creative force on Genesio’s side, but that is where Blas comes in.
The fact that Ludovic Blas was still at Nantes and able to be picked up for a €15m fee baffles me. For the past three seasons, he has shown how he can consistently perform as a part of a fluid and dynamic attack and Rennes have got themselves a bargain this summer.
Blas scored seven goals and registered five assists in Ligue 1 last season but he also managed three and three respectively in the Europa League. Rennes will be able to benefit from this next season in their European campaign.
Genesio’s formation often plays with wingers and this is likely to be where Blas is deployed, and with the forward averaging 2.79 successful take-ons per 90 he will partner well with Adrien Truffert or whoever replaces Hamari Traore at wingback (depending on which side he is used).
In regards to total take-ons in Ligue 1, he ranked only behind PSG’s Lionel Messi and Rennes’ Jeremy Doku (who could be departing to the Premier League this summer as Aston Villa are interested).
His confidence on the ball allows him to keep his head up in and around the box, this means he can take advantage of any small mistakes the opposition makes. One of the best examples of this was against PSG this season where he scored a goal from a difficult angle out wide due to noticing Gianluigi Donnarumma’s poor positioning.
With Benjamin Bourigeaud approaching 30 and question marks hanging over whether Martin Terrier will be back to his best after injury, these two signings add some much-needed creativity and energy to Rennes’ starting lineup.
PSG’s (scattergun) transfer strategy has seen them become the best team in France and win countless league titles, but unlike their German counterparts Bayern Munich, they have not been able to completely monopolise it.
Bayern used their wealth and position to basically turn the rest of their league into an academy and pick up the best talents, German or otherwise, to improve their squad. This has also allowed them to win the Champions League as well; something PSG have failed to do so far.
However while PSG fail to fully take advantage of the talent in the league, teams like Rennes will continue to benefit from it.
They will be hoping that the signings of Le Fee and Blas allow them to equal or surpass the 3rd place finish that they managed in 2019/20, but they still have some work to do in order to overcome the riches that Qatar have provided PSG.
I believe that with Lyon’s struggles and Lens losing key players such as Seko Fofana and Lois Openda, there is a chance for Rennes to secure a Champions League place next campaign.
However Lille and Monaco have shown in the past that it is possible to go all the way, so will Rennes will be the next team to take the fight to PSG? We shall see.