One player who will feature for Rennes is their striker M’Baye Niang – and he has a closer connection to the Gunners than you might think.
Niang has been linked with a move to the Gunners before
Niang has been linked with a move to the Gunners before
Then a highly-rated youngster at Caen, Niang had a trial with the north London club in 2012 and was reportedly very highly-rated by Arsene Wenger.
The former Arsenal chief made his move for the then 17-year-old, but a deal never materialised between the two parties, with Niang instead signing for Milan of Italy.
Since then, Niang has played in France, returned to Italy and even had a brief spell in the Premier League with Watford on loan – during which time Wenger was wary of the threat he posed to his side.
Back in 2017, the Frenchman said: “I know Niang well because he played for Caen and we had him here [on trial].
“He’s a very talented striker individually, and he can create chances.
“He’s very strong as well physically, and very quick. I think he will be a major asset for them.”
The Senegalese went onto score two goals in 16 appearances at Vicarage Road before moving to his next loan club Torino.
After a solid season in Turin he signed permanently for the Serie A outfit in 2018 before being loaned again to Rennes.
In the summer, Niang once again emerged as a surprise target for the Gunners after a string of good performances for Senegal at the World Cup in Russia.
He netted once for his national side before they were cruelly eliminated from the competition due to their inferior disciplinary record to Japan.
However, as before, the interest from the Emirates never materialised into a move.
Now the forward gearing up to lead the line for Rennes against Arsenal in Thursday’s knockout clash.
He has scored four goals in 18 Ligue 1 appearances this term, and, although those aren’t the most intimidating stats, the Gunners will be wary of a player who could have been turning out for Unai Emery’s side this evening if certain events had proceeded in a slightly different manner than they did in reality.