Leeds United: How is Glen Kamara getting on at Rennes after summer move? | OneFootball

Looking at Glen Kamara's first few games with Stade Rennais since his exit from Leeds United this summer.

Glen Kamara has left Leeds United after just one season in West Yorkshire after signing for Stade Rennais in France's top tier, Ligue 1.

Kamara arrived in the summer of 2023, with the fee to bring the midfielder to Leeds being confirmed by The Athletic's Phil Hay at around the £5 million mark.

He proved to be a real bargain, given his experience at international level and with Rangers in the Champions League. He was a successful signing during his first season with the club, starting 33 of the 37 league games he featured in.

That meant that he played more minutes at the base of Leeds' midfield than any other player in the squad, with Ilia Gruev a substitute more often than not, and both Archie Gray and Ethan Ampadu required in the defensive line at different stages in the season.

Losing the Finn and Gray has seen Leeds sign Joe Rothwell on loan, as well as revisit a deal for Ao Tanaka to bolster their midfield ranks, but Kamara was a vital cog in the engine room of a machine that finished third, and leaves big boots to fill at Elland Road.

Glen Kamara leaves Leeds for Rennes after one season

Brighton and Hove Albion were believed to have spoken to Leeds about the possibility of recruiting both Willy Gnonto and Kamara during the transfer window, according to TBR Football.

Despite claims that Leeds were intent on keeping Kamara coming from BBC Sport's Adam Pope, media outlet Ouest France then stated that the player was close to agreeing personal terms with Rennes.

TEAMtalk then reported that Kamara had agreed terms to join the Ligue 1 club, with a €10million (£8.4million) fee also said to be agreed between the two clubs to take him to France's top flight.

The 28-year-old therefore banked Leeds a decent sum in terms of profit after just one season with the club. He signed a four-year deal with the side that finished 10th last season, bolstering a team with the likes of ex-Birmingham City star, Jordan James.

Kamara's performances were crucial in a number of big games last year, including the semi-final of the play-offs against Norwich City and both of the victories during the season over Leicester City.

It's not altogether surprising how well he played in those moments, given his experience at international level and with the Scottish giants Rangers in the Champions League and Europa League as well.

Glen Kamara's start to life with Stade Rennais

Kamara has technical quality above Championship level and also reasonable combativeness in duels to slot in at the base of midfield, but his lack of goals and outright creativity was a concern for Leeds.

He was quite visibly an important midfielder to last season's setup and someone who shouldn’t be sold in typical circumstances. He was a quietly excellent addition to Leeds’ midfield, especially if paired alongside Ampadu or Gruev as part of a double-pivot.

In that sense, for many Leeds fans, continuity was needed in the spine of Leeds' team and Kamara adds what is needed in that sense for Leeds and Daniel Farke in 2024/25. However, his output, ball-striking, and creativity left plenty to be desired and a 28-year-old being sold for serious profit is hard to deny as good business for Leeds.

Rennes and Julien Stéphanhave decided to utilise him heavily already, where his strong ball retention has been seen in the early fixtures. Kamara was also renowned for his duel-winning and comfort in carrying the ball through the thirds, which allowed Leeds to pin the opposition in their half at times.

He completed 90 minutes on his debut during a 3-1 win over Lyon and impressed, with Kamara putting up four shot-creating actions and completing 59 of his 64 passes, of which 10 were described as progressive (all stats per FBref).

Since then, neither his passing volume, accuracy, nor progression have been up to the same standard. Of course, context matters and the two league fixtures since have been lost, with Strasbourg and Stade de Reims both getting the better of Kamara's new side.

They have utilised him off the flank rather than in central midfield, where Kamara had a helping hand in their goal against Strasbourg, with one goal-creating action, and two shot-creating actions, but he struggled to retain it or use it as well as against Lyon.

After completing 59 passes against Lyon, he managed just 56 in the two subsequent fixtures in total, with his pass accuracy also dropping off. Kamara also only provided two progressive passes in those games in total, compared to 10 against Lyon.

His duel-winning and combativeness has still shown up well, though, with Kamara putting up 4.3 tackles and interceptions per game so far. Kamara was an excellent press-resistant player for Leeds and carrying the ball was a real feature of his game, so he has, unsurprisingly, already carried the ball on 80 separate occasions as well.

Kamara was also deployed as an advanced midfielder for Finland during a 3-0 loss to Greece in the most recent international break to collect his 60th cap. During his 61st appearance for his national team, in their other Nation's League clash, Kamara was back in his best role as a central midfielder during Harry Kane's 100th appearance for England, with England's captain bagging a brace in a 2-0 defeat for the Fins.

It's unclear as to how strong Rennes will be this year, but they are evidently a team finding their feet as much as Kamara is. He has started in a similar fashion to how he did at Leeds, despite the team's struggles, albeit two of his three games have come out wide rather than in his preferred position as more of a box-to-box midfielder.