Arthur Theate was linked to return to Italy in January as Roma and Napoli chased after him, but they couldn’t convince Rennes. The defender confirmed the contact with the Giallorossi in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I discussed it more with my team than with Romelu Lukaku. I’m happy here and focused on finishing the season. It’s surely pleasing that they talk about me in Serie A, the league I absolutely prefer. We’ll see at the end of the season.”
Theate and Rennes will take on Milan in the Europa League on Thursday.
“Maybe they aren’t super consistent, but they are a high-level team. They won the Scudetto two years ago. We need to stay concentrated and determined until the end since they have quality players in every role. If possible, I’d take both Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud away from them. The former is great on headers and still one of the best no.9 in the world. The Portuguese belong to the top three for his characteristics. I recall that we tied with Bologna in San Siro in 2022.”
Theate dished on his former team and their amazing season.
“Thiago Motta’s team plays magnificent football, similar to the coach and very different from all the other sides. I would have enjoyed myself too. I hope they qualify for a European competition.”
Finally, Theate dished on their turnaround following a coaching change.
“We realized we weren’t measuring up. Julien Stephan conveyed a lot of motivation. We want to remedy our disappointing start.”
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