Paris-Saint-Germain test awaits Abdelhamid Aït-Boudlal and Charlie Cresswell’s new Rennes pairing | OneFootball

Rennes trust new centre-back pairing Abdelhamid Aït-Boudlal and Charlie Cresswell to steady a defence that wobbled last season, with Paris-Saint-Germain providing an opening-night examination on Sunday.

According to L'Équipe, Cresswell, who turned 24 on 17 August, is Rennes’s record spend on a defender. Toulouse and Rennes agreed a €2.5m paid loan with an automatic €22.5m purchase at season’s end and up to three bonuses for the England Under-21 international, a European champion in 2023 and 2025.

The partnership remains green, their only minutes with Brice Samba totalling 20 in a friendly at Sunderland on 15 August. Cresswell mostly featured in a back three at Toulouse, and Franck Haise’s 4-3-3 could also turn to Anthony Rouault or 19-year-old Gonçalo Oliveira, signed from Benfica’s reserves for €3.5m. Aït-Boudlal, 20, a Mohamed VI Academy graduate who joined at 18, is being courted by Fulham.

Haise views Cresswell as the vocal organiser Rennes needed, saying they knew after 15 minutes of training he was the defender required, and highlighting his communication, aerial strength, duels and reading of play. The plan is to blend that with Aït-Boudlal’s speed, distribution and ability to step out with the ball.

Former defender Felipe Saad believes this should be Aït-Boudlal’s year of confirmation and says Cresswell may need time to switch from five to four. He notes both centre-backs stand 1.90m, warns about depth and covering wide areas, and expects help from Samba and Valentin Rongier. Set plays should be a strength and the pairing could click.

Source: L'Équipe

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