Fofana signed a four-and-a-half season deal - Photo Courtesy Rennes Media.
Ivorian international Seko Fofana has revealed what convinced him to return to French Ligue 1 outfit Stade Rennes.
The 29-year-old midfielder signed a four-and-a-half season contract with Stade Rennes F.C. on Wednesday 1 January. A statement on the club’s official website announced his arrival by saying: “Seko Fofana, the experienced 29-year-old Ivorian international midfielder, signed a four-and-a-half season contract with Stade Rennais F.C. on Wednesday 1 January.”
Fofana has now explained what fueled his decision to return to Rennes. “I'm very happy to be joining Stade Rennes and starting 2025 with this new challenge. I've always kept a close eye on Stade Rennes, and it's a club that I've met many times.
“Discussions with Arnaud Pouille and Frederic Massara made all the difference. They told me about the project and the expectations of the shareholders. The message was strong and the decision was very simple after that. I'm very excited at the idea of starting out, there are some talented players at Rennes and I don't think the club is where it should be.
“We're going to get the chance to play a series of games and show that the start of the season was below the club's potential. I hope we can turn things around very quickly.”
Rennes Sporting Director Frederic Massara said: “He's a very good player who's going to help us a lot because he's shown all his qualities since the start of his career. He's got a great personality and a great mentality. He's a player who knows Ligue 1 well and has achieved some great things, and not just in the French league.
“I've known him for a long time, having watched him a lot when he was playing in Calcio. When I was in Rome and Milan, we always had difficult games against Seko Fofana and Udinese. Seeing him join us today is a great source of satisfaction.
“We have the utmost confidence in him. We're convinced that he'll be able to make a rapid contribution to the team both technically and in terms of his state of mind. He will embody the mentality we want to develop for the team.”
Fofana, who became Rennes first signing summer this window, trained at Paris FC, FC Lorient and Manchester City. The the Parisian by birth first cut his teeth as a professional footballer with Fulham in the Championship and Bastia, where he discovered the French league.
In 2016, Udinese Calcio snapped up the solid and versatile midfielder. In the north of Italy, he not only performed well but was also very consistent, exceeding the 30-game mark in each of his four seasons with Friuli (13 goals, 12 assists).
A successful spell in the French capital attracted the attention of a number of clubs, and in 2020 RC Lens decided to make the biggest transfer in their history. Once again, in northern France this time, Seko showed off his talent.
He played a big part in the Artesiens' exceptional season in 2022-2023, which ended just one point behind champions Paris. After making a name for himself in France, the Ivory Coast international took on a new challenge in the summer of 2023, joining Saudi club Al-Nassr FC before being loaned out to Al-Ettifaq six months later.
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