EXCLUSIVE | Rennes’ Arnaud Nordin ‘Everyone wants to play in the Champions League. For now, we’re focused on being in Europe.’ | OneFootball

Arnaud Nordin (27), on loan from Mainz, has established himself as a key player in a revived Stade Rennais side who, under new manager Franck Haise, are looking to make a return to European football. Get French Football News caught up with the former AS Saint-Étienne and Montpellier HSC winger to discuss his adaptation to life at Roazhon Park, the club’s upward trajectory, the struggles of his former clubs and his future.

You arrived at Rennes in a difficult situation with the manager under pressure (Habib Beye) and quickly replaced (by Franck Haise). How has your integration been within that context, and how do you evaluate your opening weeks at the club?

I handled it well. I was really well welcomed, be it by the technical staff or the medical staff… really everyone welcomed me very well, even the stewards, the kitchen staff. I was also lucky to already know quite a few players, so, as a player, that helps, too. It has all gone well! From my side, I was looking left and right to see how the club worked, to come to terms, and then slowly but surely you gain in confidence and, naturally, you feel good at this club.

Who were the players that you already knew at Rennes?

I already played with Moussa Al-Taamari at Montpellier HSC and I came through the ranks with Mahdi Camara at AS Saint-Étienne. Esteban Lepaul and I also have friends in common so we had already come across each other and talked on multiple occasions and then also Alidu Seidu a bit.

On Lepaul, you already seem to have a good connection on the pitch, too…

In any case, we have a particular relationship because he is someone that I knew from before coming to Rennes, so he obviously welcomed me really well. We already had this little ‘feeling’ and it is true that, on the pitch, he is an excellent player with his runs in behind. Playing with players like that makes things easier and we’re there to feed him.

Do you think that he should be in contention for a France call-up?

I am not Didier Deschamps but I think that ‘Este’ is a forward who has scored and continues to score lots of goals, so I think, and it is only my opinion, that he is already in his good books (laughs). But we will see if he is selected or not. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Deschamps already knows him. I think that when you score 14 goals in Ligue 1, lots of people know you and so I think that the France national team manager at least knows him and that is the most important thing at the moment.

There has been a managerial change since you arrived, with Haise replacing Beye. How have you found working the former?

On a human level, he is someone who speaks to me a lot, who gives me a lot of advice. He won’t make big speeches, but he will be pointed when it comes to the small details, which allows us to all be in a good environment and it also allows the team to express itself better on the pitch. I think that we have played well in the past three or four matches, despite the loss to Lille OSC. But he brings us a lot on the pitch and also off it. 

Photo credit: Luke Entwistle

Does it fill you with confidence, also having the trust of a manager like that?

It helps me, of course! I am always trying to help the team. The manager has started me in the past five games and so, naturally, for a player, you want to play and repay that confidence as much as possible. 

And did you need that too after your time at Mainz, which was somewhat mixed?

I want to help the team and to feel important. Feeling important doesn’t necessarily mean starting matches; you can also be important when coming on in a match. That’s why you need everyone in a team. A player needs to feel loved by his teammates, by an entire dressing room, by a whole club, and when you feel that love, you can give your absolute best on the pitch. [In Germany], the methodology is a bit different. The Bundesliga is known for its intensity, so you took lots of hits in training. That was something new. Not many fouls were called; the game was allowed to continue. As a forward, that obliges you to not just stay on the floor but to get up and to defend. It is similar to France, too. In training [at Rennes], the manager doesn’t always blow [for fouls] either, so you’re having to get up and defend. It was a great experience in Germany, which is one of the big European leagues.

You talk about the similarities between France and Germany. Did you make a return to Ligue 1 a priority in the winter?

It was a match straight away because Rennes are a very ambitious club, one that has the ambition of playing in Europe. Those are the club’s objectives. It is really a priority when you see the facilities, the infrastructure, and everything around the club, the city…

I think it would be good for the club to be in Europe [next season]. Everyone wants to play in the UEFA Champions League, to play in these kinds of competitions. But for now, our objective is to qualify for European football. We’ll see exactly where we finish at the end of the season.

Coming back to Ligue 1, there is one club that you are not facing, your former club, Montpellier. Does it upset you to see their recent plight?

It is sad because I met some really incredible people there. It is difficult to see a club like that in this situation. I have been following them in Ligue 2. I hope that they can at least make the playoffs and get back into Ligue 1.

And the same for your formative club, Saint-Étienne…

It is a shame for them, too! It proves that Ligue 1 is really hard! Girondins de Bordeaux are another story, but it is another historic club. It hurts not seeing them in Ligue 1. I hope that these kinds of clubs return to Ligue 1, especially ASSE for next year. 

Do you also want to stick around to potentially face them next year? Your loan from Mainz has a buy option…

Of course! I feel really good here. I was welcomed in a way that you wouldn’t even imagine. To feel loved, naturally, you want to stay at such a club and fight for their colours. There is really a family feel. And then in terms of ambition, it has always been a club that has had a lot. All of the directors have put in the means, and so I think that, at the very least, you have to repay that at the weekend, on the pitch, by playing for the badge. 

Externally at least, you get the impression that, after a couple of difficult seasons, Rennes are heading once again in the right direction. Do you feel that internally, too, and do you think this could be a great end to the season?

We hope so! We are working hard every day in order to ensure that. Eight matches, eight finals, as everyone says; it’s the final sprint. We’ll take stock after the game against Olympique de Marseille (the final game of Rennes’ campaign)!

GFFN | Luke Entwistle