Rennes' Ludovic Blas: in from the cold

Ludovic Blas had fallen out of favour under Habib Beye at Stade Rennais; he has once again become a central figure under new manager Franck Haise.

Blas drops off radar after strong start

In the opening gameweek of the season, Blas' minutes were limited, coming off the bench in the 86th minute, but he made the most of the time that he did spend on the pitch, netting the late winner in a 1-0 win over Olympique de Marseille.

After that goal, the former France youth international would go on to start seven of Rennes next eight games in Ligue 1 McDonald's. In that time, he would net against his former club, FC Nantes, and register an assist against AJ Auxerre. However, collectively, Les Rennais were not thriving.

Over the course of those eight games, Rennes won just once; Beye had come under pressure. Looking to save his job, he wrung the changes. And the changes worked. Blas was out of the squad altogether for the draw against Toulouse and at that point, Beye himself admitted that he was hanging by a thread.

Mahdi Camara → Estéban Lepaul → Mahdi Camara → Quentin Merlin → Ludovic Blas 🔗

Action de classe pour égaliser à Le Blé, Ludo' Blas létal du gauche 🎯 #SB29SRFC 3-4 pic.twitter.com/KbgPNNnTf5
— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) April 6, 2026

Then came the turning point. Six wins in seven in Ligue 1 McDonald's gave Beye breathing room and put the Breton club right back in the reckoning for European qualification. It was good news for the club, but Blas had little to do with it. The forward did not start a single one of the games during that run. The team was functioning well without him. Why tinker with a winning formula?

But Rennes would relapse. A draw against Le Havre was followed by three consecutive losses, to Lorient, Monaco, and Lens. It is a run that would cost now-OM manager Beye his job at Roazhon Park, but for Blas, it would ultimately provide a new lease of life.

"He's a top player" - Haise on Blas

It wouldn't be immediate, however. He had to wait until the match against Lille in mid-March for his first start, but he has now started all of Rennes' last four games in Ligue 1 McDonald's.

His goal against Brest drew Rennes level earlier this month, in what was a thrilling game in which SRFC would prevail (4-3). Blas is now refinding his feet. "It is coming back, little by little, and I'm playing regularly. The coach has shown confidence in me. It is now up to me to show him that he wasn't wrong," he said after Rennes' 2-1 win over Angers on Saturday.

"He's a top player," added Haise. "It is up to him to be that all of the time. It is a lot of effort, but he is capable of it. He is on a really good path."

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