Latest news with #OlympiqueDeMarseille
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Timothy Weah's agent slams Juventus amid Marseille interest
Olympique de Marseille remain intent on signing Timothy Weah (25), however, Juventus' demands for the USMNT international have so far held up the deal. The player's agent has now hit out at the Italian side's handling of the situation. Talks to sign Weah have been ongoing for several weeks, however, OM and Juventus are yet to find common ground. L'Équipe understands that Marseille tried to include Valentin Rongier in the deal in mid-July, however, that proposition was not accepted. Rongier has since joined Stade Rennais. Juventus have been open to a loan deal with an obligatory purchase clause valued between €20-22m, however, this figure is seen as too high for OM. Talks are therefore ongoing with Weah himself, already agreeing terms with Marseille. Frustrated by the situation, the player's agent, Babou Sambagué, has hit out at Juventus. 'Juve are a fantastic club. The sporting sector is managed by three people. Two of them have class, another one is still in search of it,' he said in a comment, via . L'Équipe understands that the individual targeted is former Toulouse FC president Damien Comolli, now CEO of Juventus. Weah will not accept Premier League move Sambagué continued, 'Two are looking for solutions, the other one is creating problems. Tim Weah, always professional, was left out during the Club World Cup. This person also wanted to force him to go where he wanted.' L'Équipe understands that Comolli wishes for Weah to join Nottingham Forest, rather than Marseille. 'Now, out of vengeance, he is asking for a fortune and is waiting for a Premier League offer that won't come and that will not be accepted by us. These are old-school methods and ones that will not work with me,' added Sambagué. GFFN | Luke Entwistle
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Timothy Weah's agent blasts Juventus over failed transfer
Timothy Weah's agent blasted an unnamed Juventus director for blocking his client's transfer to Olympique de Marseille. The Old Lady are looking to offload Weah amid interest from Leeds United and Everton. The 25-year-old joined the Serie A club two years ago for €12m, but has failed to make an impact at the Allianz Stadium. He has made 78 appearances across all competitions, with 14 goal contributions to his name. A transfer agreement with Marseille for the forward looked close, but it recently emerged a deal has stalled over Juventus' asking price. Roberto De Zerbi's side are ready to offer a €15m fee for the winger, but the Serie A outfit are adamant their valuation of €20m must be met for an exit. Weah's agent, Badou Sambague, slammed one particular Juventus director, blaming him for the stalled move. Sambague believes that Juventus are looking to sell his client to a Premier League club, but he insists the player will not approve of a move to England. In a statement to The Athletic, he said: 'Juve is a fantastic club. The sporting department is managed by three persons. Two have class, and another is still searching himself [sic]. We cannot blame him. Two are looking for solutions, and one is creating problems. And we can't let that go. 'Tim Weah, is always professional, was left out during the [Club] World Cup. 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.' Weah's situation at Juventus suggested Leeds and Everton are ready to launch a move for him this summer. But a formal proposal from the two Premier League sides is now unlikely as the player clearly doesn't want to move to England. Weah previously rejected a transfer to Nottingham Forest after Juventus reached an agreement with them. Stats from Transfermarkt
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang terminates contract with Al Qadsiah as Marseille return edges closer
According to a report from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (36) has signed a contract termination agreement with Al Qadsiah and is now free to sign with any club. The Gabon international is currently in talks over a return to Olympique de Marseille, as Romano reports that the former OM striker is in negotiations over a potential two-year deal at the Phocéen club. Aubameyang scored 21 goals and registered four assists in Saudi Arabia last season, after he joined the club from Marseille last summer. L'Équipe report that the 36 year-old is prioritising a move back to Marseille over other European clubs. Les Olympiens pounced on the opportunity and are reportedly in advanced discussions with their former player and have tabled a two-year contract offer. The former Arsenal and Barcelona man's interest is reportedly mutual, but there are offers also from the AUE, Qatar, and within Saudi Arabia – although a move to Provence seems to be the most likely course of action at this stage. |
CNA
07-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Inter sign Brazilian forward Henrique from Marseille
Inter Milan have signed Brazilian forward Luis Henrique from Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille, the Serie A club announced on Saturday. While the length of the contract and financial details were not disclosed, Italian media reported the 23-year-old had signed until 2030 in a deal valued at 23 million euros ($26.21 million) plus a further 2 million euros in add-ons. Henrique began his career at Botafogo before signing for Marseille in 2020. In 108 appearances for the French club, he has scored 11 goals - nine of which came in the 2024-25 season as Marseille finished second in Ligue 1. Inter, who suffered a 5-0 loss in the Champions League final against Paris St Germain last month and finished second in Serie A behind champions Napoli, are next in action at the Club World Cup. They begin their campaign on June 17 when they take on Mexico's Monterrey in Los Angeles, followed by two games in Seattle against Urawa Red Diamonds and River Plate. ($1 = 0.8777 euros)
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Rebellion, ritiros & Waddle - 'ultra' De Zerbi's year at Marseille
"When I was aged 13-14, in the AC Milan youth academy, my coach told me to start following Marseille and Chris Waddle," Roberto de Zerbi discreetly revealed after Marseille's final game of the season. "That's when I fell in love with Marseille. I started following the club because of (former England winger) Waddle."It followed a season full of lively - and at times fiery - pressers at the Velodrome and the La Commanderie training ground. The Italian found in France's oldest city something that mirrored his past and his own temperament."The city of Marseille and the club of Marseille are similar to me in a way. I was looking for an environment that could make me dream," said the former Brighton boss in early Zerbi is a natural fit for the heat at Olympique de Marseille. His football demands conviction, and so does the city. As local poet Jean-Claude Izzo once wrote: "Here, you have to take sides. Be passionate. Be for, be against. Just be, intensely."At the end of the season the Italian was caught up in jubilant celebrations, waving a flare with supporters that had greeted the Marseille squad at 4am at Provence Airport. "I was born an ultra," De Zerbi exclaimed to DAZN only weeks was not a title win - but finishing second in Ligue 1 and qualifying for the Champions League felt nonetheless appointment of the passionate Italian was viewed as an "impossible dream" by club president Pablo Longoria when he made a call last summer after De Zerbi departed dream teetered on the edge of chaos several times this season, testing the tactical and emotional limits of one of the most promising coaches of the past decade. 'The Port of Exiles' - OM's summer overhaul "Marseille has always been the port of exiles... Here, anyone who arrives one day at the port is inevitably at home," Izzo also wrote about an eighth-placed finish last season, the club kicked off a radical overhaul - welcoming an eclectic collection of misfits and experienced players attracted by De Zerbi's new project. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Neal Maupay and Adrien Rabiot all arrived citing De Zerbi as a pair Jonathan Rowe and Mason Greenwood joined the Anglophone contingent at the club along with Canada international Derek Cornelius."The big difference was Roberto de Zerbi calling me out of the blue. I was a bit taken aback by it because it's the first time a manager has gone out of his way to call me and say he wants me," former Norwich winger Rowe told BBC Sport."The coach has been a bit more intricate with the details: your body shape, how you go into games, how you think and stay focused in a game. There's a lot of information to take in.""He's very demanding, one of the best coaches in the world. He's one of the reasons why I came here," added Greenwood before the final game of the season. "We have a great relationship and he puts me in the best position so that I can express myself."We've also had to learn when to be patient, when to play a bit quicker when we have a lot of the ball and break down defences. So he's taught me a lot about how to play my game."Greenwood joined the club from Manchester United last summer in a deal worth up to 31.6m euros (£26.6m). Serious charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February 2023."We took the decision internally. OK, there was some opposition, that was objective," said Marseille club president Longoria in September. "But at the same time that gave us power to maybe not investigate, because I'm not a judge, but to use all the information to make the best decision, which I think we did."Greenwood scored twice on his Ligue 1 debut in a 5-1 win over Brest and went on to finish with 21 goals, breaking the record of the most goals in a debut season for a Marseille player in the 21st century, ahead of Bafetimbi Gomis (20) and Didier Drogba (19).His goals won 16 additional points for the club - the highest of any player in Ligue 1 this season, according to ability for attacking explosivity on the pitch under De Zerbi was abundant from the start of the season. Les Olympiens broke several goalscoring and possession records, scoring 74 goals in 34 games this season, with only an all-conquering Paris St-Germain side netting more in Ligue 1. Reports of mutiny & a Roman rebirth Yet after a run of five losses in seven games, the season would take a turn for the surreal. Following defeat by Reims in March, a report from French newspaper L'Equipe alluded to tensions arising between De Zerbi and his players - going as far to suggest a 'mutiny' had taken Zerbi hit back: "Some people made me out to be a criminal. It's not fair. I'm a good person. My mum called me this morning and asked: 'What did you do?'""There is no rift between us," claimed former Brentford and Brighton striker Maupay during the same news conference. "He is so passionate and committed... In families or couples, you have to be able to talk things through."After concerns around the team environment, De Zerbi - along with Longoria and sporting director Medhi Benatia - made the collective decision to take the squad on a training retreat to had been on a team bonding camp following a defeat earlier in the season by Auxerre, but this 'ritiro' - often a practice for Serie A teams - involved the team's 50-man sporting operation moving to the outskirts of the Italian capital late in the season."We've thought with the club about doing everything we can to reach our objective," said De Zerbi. "It's not a punishment - it's simply to help the team reconnect. The players agreed. It won't change their lives, but it could change their careers."As the world turned its eyes to Rome following the death of Pope Francis, Marseille found a kind of rebirth of their own in the Eternal City. De Zerbi visited the Vatican with club representatives to pay his respects - before focus switched back to Champions League rooftop barbecues and work on the training pitch, away from the prying eyes of La Commanderie, ended up being what was needed to make the difference in the final games of the season."I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday there - I had never been to Italy before," smiled Rowe. "We really managed to create better cohesion and become more united."Sixteen goals in the final five games of the season earned big wins over Brest and Montpellier, with a victory at Le Havre sparking scenes of celebration. A release of tension as De Zerbi, his players and staff all flooded the away section."I believe this is more than a miracle," the Italian said afterwards."We spent time together, had dinner together. We trained less, but we worked a lot on unity and it showed on the pitch; it's a family."It's not true that the players were against me; that hurt me. There was never any mutiny." 'I love conflict, I love controversy' The first act of the De Zerbi story at Marseille has proved to be a whirlwind that has reached a satisfactory conclusion for all parties: Champions League qualification."I love conflict, I love controversy. I think it's part of football and part of this club's DNA. You can't change that," said Longoria at his end-of-season news conference."With Roberto, we started a cycle that we set out in a three-year contract. I think we're in a good place."We want to find continuity, let the adrenaline that is associated with this club die down."After a summit held in the US, Marseille confirmed the commitment between Longoria, De Zerbi, Benatia and American owner Frank McCourt to continue working so there will be a second act to De Zerbi's odyssey in the south of France, one that will see the coach compete in Europe's elite competition for the first time since his tenure at Shakhtar Donetsk in than 30 years after first falling for the OM of Waddle, it will be the Italian's turn to try to re-energise Marseille's proud European heritage.
