With six goals in twelve matches in the Rennes shirt, Boulaye Dia is the only offensive satisfaction of Stade Rennais’s summer transfer window, according to Top Mercato. The Senegalese striker is among the players called up to face Sudan on 12 and 16 November.
Stade Rennais signed four forwards in the last summer transfer window: Eliezer Mayenda for €22m, Boulaye Dia on a paid loan of €2m with an €8m purchase option, winger Arnaud Nordin for €2.2m and winger Issa Soumaré on a free transfer. According to Top Mercato, only one of these deals is really working: that of the Senegalese international, who has scored six goals in twelve matches.
The contrast with the other signings is stark. Mayenda, 21, has not been decisive in twelve matches, only two of which were starts. Nordin and Soumaré are reportedly already being pushed towards the exit this winter. In this landscape, Dia stands out as the exception.
Six goals, and a striking contrast
Six goals in twelve appearances: the striker’s rate contrasts sharply with the record of his fellow forwards. Top Mercato writes that he has been very impressive.
The verdict is harsher for Mayenda. Signed for €22m, the young striker has not been decisive in twelve matches and has started only twice. A return that raises questions about the investment made by the Breton club.
The absence of Estéban Lepaul, who is expected to return after the international break, is cited by the same source to explain Rennes’s offensive shortcomings. His return could change the pecking order in a department where Dia has stood out.
Nordin and Soumaré under pressure
According to Top Mercato, Arnaud Nordin and Issa Soumaré are reportedly already being pushed towards the exit this winter. Signed for €2.2m and on a free transfer respectively, the two wingers are therefore among the sensitive cases this winter.
This information remains unconfirmed. It nonetheless paints a picture of a summer transfer window largely missed on the offensive front, where only Dia’s loan has produced immediate results.
Rennes could therefore sign a striker this winter to compensate for the failure of their summer offensive recruitment, again according to Top Mercato. An arrival that would strengthen an attacking department whose record remains limited.
With Senegal before the transfer window
Boulaye Dia is among Patrick Vieira’s Senegal squad for the double header against Sudan on 12 and 16 November, in the CAN 2027 qualifiers. The first match is set for 12 November at 19:00 GMT.
For the striker, this international window comes just before the winter transfer window. The loan includes an €8m purchase option.
Top Mercato also mentions a possible striker arrival at Rennes during the winter transfer window.