Juventus general manager: USMNT's Tim Weah ‘can't choose a team' amid Marseille talks

New York Times

4 days ago

Damien Comolli, general manager of Serie A's Juventus, confirmed that USMNT winger Tim Weah wants to join Marseille, but said that the 'right offer' has not yet arrived from the French club.
This comes after Weah's agent, Badou Sambague, expressed his frustration that the move has so far failed to materialize.
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In a statement to The Athletic earlier this month, Sambague said that 'Juve is a fantastic club' but that an unnamed person in the club's sporting department is 'creating problems' for Weah.
Juventus previously agreed terms with Premier League side Nottingham Forest before Weah turned down the move.
'Tim Weah, is always professional, was left out during the [Club] World Cup,' Sambague continued. 'This person botched his [Club] World Cup, tried to force him to go where he wanted.
'Today, as revenge, he's demanding a fortune and waiting for a Premier League offer that won't come and will never be approved by us.
'Class can't be bought for a manager, that's for sure, but it has always been part of the history of Juventus. One person is undermining that. Let's see…'
Comolli joined Juventus this summer after three years as president of French team Toulouse. Speaking to Sky Italia, he said that Weah wishes to move to France but urged him to get a commitment from Marseille.
'We deserve respect, we give respect to everyone,' said Comolli. 'The players are being looked after, no one is being pushed aside.
'When you come out strongly and say I want to join one club, and only one club, you need to make sure that club backs you up. If that club doesn't back you up, what do you do? You are in a corner and have nowhere else to go.
'You said very loud that you only want to go to Marseille, but what happens if Marseille is not there for you?'
The 52-year-old added that Marseille had not yet presented an offer that was deemed acceptable by Juventus.
'The player wants to go to Marseille, but in football you can't choose a team because if the right offer doesn't arrive, you stay on the sidelines,' Comolli said. 'And the offer hasn't arrived yet.'
Weah missed the U.S.' Gold Cup campaign this summer — where Mauricio Pochettino's team reached the final before being defeated by Mexico — in order to play for Juventus at the Club World Cup. However, Weah only played 45 minutes at the tournament, with Juve being knocked out in the round of 16 by Real Madrid.
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The 25-year-old has scored seven goals in 78 games for Juventus since joining the club in 2023 from Lille, after coming through the youth system at fellow Ligue 1 team Paris Saint Germain.
Weah appeared 43 times for the club last season, scoring six goals and providing five assists as Juventus finished fourth in the table, qualifying for Champions League.