Nayef AGUERD

Stade Rennais enlisted the services of Nayef Aguerd on 14th August 2020 to compensate for the departures of both Gnagnon and Morel two months previously. A Moroccan international, this left-sided central defender had – until this point - been playing for Dijon, for whom he had scored a goal against the Red and Blacks in April 2019. As soon as he arrived at the club, he managed to assert himself as first choice defender alongside Damien Da Silva, discovering the Champions League for the first time with Rennes. In continual progression, he extended his contract at the end of the 2021 Summer transfer window, despite having interest from Premier League clubs. He continued his progression in his second season with Rennes, becoming the undisputed lynchpin of the defence in the 2021/2022 season. After 80 matches and 7 goals for the club, the Moroccan international defender finally succumbed to the allure of the Premier League, Aguerd swapping Brittany for Britain, and West Ham in a record deal of 35 Million Euros on 20th June 2022.