Jorge Sampaoli will evaluate Steve Mandanda ahead of January transfer window | OneFootball

According to a report by L’Équipe, Steve Mandanda’s (39) position as the no. 1 goalkeeper at Stade Rennais will be under evaluation until January with the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli as the new manager.

The two had previously worked together for 17 months at Olympique de Marseille where Sampaoli was partly responsible for phasing Mandanda out of the team in favour of Pau López (29) in the 2021/22 campaign.

Despite this, the French outlet writes that the veteran goalkeeper and former manager’s relationship will not be frosty. Sampaoli wants to provide players a chance to perform before he asks the management for reinforcements in the January window.

The worry for Mandanda is that in the past his strengths were not compatible with the way Sampaoli likes his teams to play and Rennes were reportedly already preparing their succession plan over the summer for a goalkeeper who is entering his third and final year of his contract.

GFFN | Nick Hartland