Raphinha out to show that Ronaldinho’s on the money

SELL big. Spend big. When it came to trading wingers this summer, Rennes were not found to be lacking in ambition.

Celtic’s Europa League opponents negotiated hard until Watford broke their record fee to sign Senegal international Ismailia Sarr in a deal worth around £30million just before the mid-August English deadline. The Breton club’s swollen bank account wasn’t allowed to gather interest for long. Their hunt to replace Sarr took them to Portugal. And a surprise deal agreed just before the crossEuropean window shut on September 2. A ¤21m (£18.6m) outlay was delivered to Sporting Lisbon for rising Brazilian talent Raphinha, making him Rennes’ most expensive addition in almost two decades. The 22-year-old’s elusive style and gifted left foot will pose an obvious threat to the Scottish champions tomorrow evening. Indeed, his skillset has already received a seal of approval from no less a figure than Ronaldinho. ‘He will go far. He will make an incredible career,’ the Brazilian icon told Portuguese media when asked about Raphinha (right) last year. Quite whether Ronaldinho was expecting northern France to feature on his compatriot’s path to glory is another matter. But that is where he has landed — and with sizeable pressure now resting on his athletic shoulders. The meeting with Celtic will only be Raphinha’s second appearance for Rennes. His debut in the 0-0 derby draw with Brest last weekend was marked by a disallowed goal, courtesy of VAR, that sparked fury from club president Olivier Letang. Early days or not, scrutiny will be applied to his performance against Neil Lennon’s men. The obvious expectation is for him to make a difference in high-profile matches. Tenth in Ligue 1 last season, Rennes qualified for the Europa League thanks to winning the French Cup for just the third time in their history. A dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over the petrodollar power of Paris Saint-Germain provided the perfect send-off for Sarr. Raphinha’s bold acquisition is aimed at building upon that success. Progression from Europa League Group E is among the primary targets for Julien Stéphan’s team. Quarter-finalists in the competition last term, where they lost to Arsenal, facing Celtic is the first hurdle in the way of another positive run. Lennon’s squad will be feeling pretty good about themselves when they pitch up at Roazhon Park. Yet, Raphinha’s presence in the opposition line-up provides another reminder of the financial gulf between the Scottish environment and Europe’s wealthier leagues. Rennes are not Monaco, Lyon or Marseille, never mind PSG, but the winger’s price tag is double the record outlay Celtic lavished on Odsonne Edouard. A year or so on, the Edouard deal already looks like good value. Clubs, including Napoli, will be queuing up to offer significant profit on the France Under-21 striker if they scent a sale. Whether Rennes will be able to claim the same about their expensive new import is a question Raphinha must answer in the months ahead. To do so positively, he will have to shrug off some history. Back in 2000, Rennes paid 140m francs (nearly £19m) to sign Brazilian forward Lucas Severino. It remains their record purchase. Don’t worry if the name doesn’t ring any bells. Lucas was an epic flop, scoring just 11 goals in 84 games before heading back to Brazil on loan and then out to Japan. The utter failure of that deal ensured Rennes owner Francois Pinault, the billionaire luxury goods magnate, took a far more cautious approach to the transfer market in subsequent years. Local media have already highlighted banishing the ‘curse of Lucas’ as one of Raphinha’s first challenges. Born in Porto Alegre, the player left Brazil to join Vitoria Guimaraes in 2016 before a subsequent switch to Sporting brought both fame and success. Mirroring Rennes’ cup triumph, the capital side clinched last season’s Portuguese Cup by beating Porto on penalties. Raphinha scored in the shoot-out. Sevilla were strongly linked as the summer speculation unfolded and La Liga might have seemed the more obvious next step in his career. Rennes, however, identified him as Sarr’s ideal successor. A deal may not have been possible had Sporting concluded the expected sale of Bruno Fernandes. Yet none of the midfielder’s suitors were willing to meet the £70m asking price, so Sporting president Frederico Varandas opted to cash in on Raphinha instead. ‘We have to balance keeping a competitive team with financial rigour,’ admitted Varandas. The Parkhead side now have to ensure Raphinha isn’t given an early opportunity to justify the outlay. Limiting his influence may well be essential if Lennon and his players are to bank a positive result at the start of this group campaign.