Dréossi: “We are lacking someone upfront”

Since the transfers of Ismaël Bangoura et d’Asamoah Gyan, Frédéric Antonetti keeps on repeating his desire to – finally – see a new striker arrive at the Route de Lorient. After the Stade Rennais’ shameful elimination to Guingamp in Coupe de la Ligue, the Corsican manager showed increasingly irritated with the situation: “I’m not even talking about the striker that was excepted to arrive, hasn’t arrive, will be arriving, will maybe arrive…”

Talking to L’Equipe, Pierre Dréossi declared he was currently in deep reflexion on the matter: “We are lacking someone upfront. The ideal profile is a wing player that could also play as a center forward”. Over the last few weeks, names such as de Razak Boukari (Lens), Yoan Gouffran (Bordeaux), Grégory Pujol (Valenciennes) or even Mevlut Erding (Paris SG), were evoked to reinforce an attacking sector lacking competition since the combined departures of Bangoura and Gyan.

The rumour were wiped away by the club’s general manager, as the Rennes recruitment unit now seem to have turned their attention towards foreign leagues: “There are no players interesting us in the French Championship, that we could bring in Rennes at this moment. We shortlisted three or four that could interest us, but it isn’t possible, the clubs won’t sell them.” At this moment, Antonetti will have to manage things with Jirès Kembo-Ekoko, Abdoul Camara and Victor Hugo Montaño at centre-forward. Hoping this will be enough in the event of injuries or suspensions