"They're building something here," said Joe Rodon, on loan at Rennes from Tottenham, full of belief that Stade Rennais are becoming "a big club" with a strong chance of topping their Europa League group at Fenerbahce on Thursday.

The Welsh international defender, who has just turned 25, has been impressed with the gleaming facilities and prestigious team-mates at Spurs for two years.

"The players there are top players," he told AFP in an interview. "Training with them, being with them every day, I learned a lot."

A quick call...

But with fewer than 1,300 minutes of play in two seasons - not even the equivalent of 15 full games - he was feeling the pinch. So when Rennes, whom he had played against last year in the Europa League, offered him the chance, he did not hesitate.

He had just enough time to make a phone call to Gareth Bale, his national team captain and the former Real Madrid teammate of Eduardo Camavinga, one of the biggest-ever exports from Rennes' renowned youth academy. The Welshman didn't hesitate to recommend Ligue 1 Uber Eats to him.

'Rennes will become a great team'

Rodon arrived in France a few days before the start of the season in August and had a difficult start in a brand new team alongside Belgian Arthur Theate, who had just arrived from Serie A. But coach Bruno Genesio gave the pair time to settle in and Rodon finally got going.

"Arthur and I told ourselves at the start, 'It won't happen overnight'," said Rodon. "We've been lucky enough to play a lot of games in a row together, and that's the best way to get better."

Suspended for the last two Ligue 1 Uber Eats games, Rodon has seen 20-year-old Christopher Wooh replace him in earnest, but the Welshman is expected to return to the starting line-up in Istanbul on Thursday.

European odyssey

At the home of Fenerbahçe, a regular in European fixtures and the current Turkish league leaders, Rodon knows it will be no easy task.

"It's going to be a very difficult match. The atmosphere is going to be terrible," warned the defender. "They are one of the biggest teams in Turkey and have been for a long time. Everyone respects them. Rennes too, with enough time, will reach this status and become a great team."

This is the ambition of the Brittany club's directors, who are contesting their fifth European campaign in a row. But Rennes still has a welcoming, family atmosphere the likes of which Rodon appreciated at his parent club Swansea.

'Incredible talent here'

"The stadium is bigger, the atmosphere is crazy, the fans are incredible. I feel a bit like I'm at home," he explained. Maybe that's because of the 'Bro gozh ma zadou', the Breton anthem that is played before every match at Roazhon Park and which has borrowed the tune of the Welsh anthem.

"I really feel that something is being built here," says Rodon. "As the weeks go by, the team is getting better. It's important to keep pushing, not to drop the level. In training, we work really hard."

Above all, "there are some great young players coming through. These foundations are important (...) There is incredible talent here. I couldn't believe my ears when they told me their age!

"There is a process going on and you have to have confidence. We are playing great football. It's not just about winning, but winning the right way," the defender added.  

Pinching himself

He will be keen to apply these principles in a month's time at the 2022 World Cup, Wales' first in 64 years. But it's not time to talk about that just yet - even though there is an all-important clash against England in the third group game on 29 November.

"The games are coming so fast here at Rennes," smiled the Welshman. "The fact that I'll be at a World Cup hasn't really sunk in yet. It will probably come when we get together for the preparations."

Rennes next outing comes on Sunday afternoon when Montpellier come calling at Roazhon Park for their Ligue 1 Uber Eats Round 13 fixture.