Since Baptiste Santamaria’s injury against Auxerre ten days ago, which will keep the player off the field for several months, Stade Rennais has been busy finding a replacement for him. It’s done since the club announces, Wednesday, September 21, the recruitment of 27-year-old Portuguese midfielder Xeka, who had been without a club since the end of his contract on June 30. He signs for two seasons.
The player, who can play as a recovery or relay midfielder, has been playing for Lille for five seasons, where he played more than 140 games, including 10 in the Champions League. He was loaned to Dijon during the 2017/2018 season.
For Florian Mauricetechnical director of Stade Rennais FC: “He is a complete midfielder who knows Ligue 1 and who was French champion with Lille 2 seasons ago. We are therefore recruiting an excellent player, capable of recovering balls, of projecting himself forward and of scoring goals, with his head or with his foot.
It’s a modern environment that will bring us a lot. He is experienced, records Champions League and Europa League matches, even if at first he will not be able to play the European Cup with us. We hope to qualify so that he can participate in January!
I also appreciate his personality, his character, his grinta, and his winning spirit. It’s important to have this profile in our squad today, especially after Baptiste’s injury.
[EMBED TWEET ANNONCE RECRUTEMENT XEKA SRFC]