Jordan James stated he has no regrets over swapping Birmingham City for Stade Rennes last summer, outlining his reasoning behind moving to France.
Blues academy graduate James made the surprising move from League One to Ligue 1 in the August transfer window, with Stade Rennes paying a reported initial £4million for the highly-rated youngster.
And despite an inauspicious start to life in Brittany, James has not looked back in recent weeks.
Jordan James wanted “something new” after Birmingham City
Following Birmingham’s relegation from the Championship in 2023/24, a season where James made 42 appearances, it was decided that the midfielder could leave St Andrew’s.
In January 2024, the Blues had rebuffed a move from Serie A outfit Atalanta, who went on to win that season’s Europa League, but another European top-flight club came calling in the summer.
James felt that Stade Rennais would offer a chance of European football, with the Breton club having competed in one of the three European competitions in the past seven seasons – albeit missing out on qualifying last year.
Speaking about his choice to swap Birmingham for Brittany, James stated, via Birmingham Live: “I’ve been at Birmingham City my whole life but I wanted something new.
“It was a decision that me and my family made. I want to play in the top flight of football and that is what this club does.
“I want to be fighting for Champions League and Europa League and this was the perfect opportunity to do that.”
Jordan James took time to acclimatise to physical French game
But despite earning his dream switch to a top-flight club battling for European football, Welsh international James admitted life in France came with a “weird” start.
But it has not been straightforward for the 17-time Welsh international in Ligue 1.
After a mid-table finish last year and poor start to his campaign, manager Julien Stephan was sacked, with Jorge Sampaoli installed as boss in November.
Having been barely used by Stephan, the arrival of Sampaoli saw a turn in fortunes for James, who was given a starting role in the Stade Rennais midfield.
But by the end of January, Sampaoli had also been dismissed, leaving James to work with a third manager at Stade Rennais, Habib Beye.
Luckily for James, Beye also appears to be a fan of the Welshman, having continued to start the midfielder.
“It was weird. I went there with a lot of hope of playing and I never did,” James shared.
“It was a new environment – something massive for me and my family – and I had to keep my head down and keep working.
“A new coach came in and I played every game. I’ve got used to the place and now I feel at home.
“When I do come here (with the Welsh national team) it’s obviously a lot easier when I am playing football in France.
“I’ve been in the gym a lot in France. They are very athletic and I’ve looked to bring that into my game, because I need to be able to cope over there.
“Going to France has really built me up in a character way, personally and on the pitch.
“I feel I can influence games a lot more now. I’m still young, but I don’t feel like that young kid any more.”
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