Frederic Massara returns to Rennes: the 2024-25 transfer flop

Rennes travel to Turin this Thursday for the Europa League matchday 3 (18:45) with a special reunion: Frederic Massara, the club’s former sporting director. His 2024-25 spell is remembered as a disaster, to the point that observers and long-time supporters talk about “the worst transfer window in the club’s history.”

Massara arrived in summer 2024 to replace Florian Maurice and backed a big incoming list: Hans Hateboer, Leo Ostigard, Jota, Albert Gronbaek, Glen Kamara, Mikayil Faye, Henrick Meister, Jordan James and Naouirou Ahamada. As RMC Sport notes, none managed to really establish themselves at Rennes. Even more, five of those signings left already in the winter window: Ostigard, Kamara, Gronbaek, Jota and Meister.

The financial report from the DNCG puts intermediaries and agents’ fees at €24.673m for that period—more than PSG (€24.082m). On top of the squad work, the season was also marked by constant instability: two board presidents linked to Pinault, two executive presidents, and three coaches (Stéphan, Jorge Sampaoli and Habib Beye). Massara himself once owned up to the failure: “Les responsabilités, je les prends toutes.”

RMC Sport adds that when they tried to contact him before facing Rennes with the Juventus, Massara didn’t respond. He left Rennes in May 2025, returned to AS Roma, and then joined Juventus in July.