http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127 – Ligue 1 giants should brace themselves for tough times ahead
Reigning Ligue 1 champions, Olympique de Marseille, simply cannot go a day without making it to the front pages of the newspapers. The local media is in a flurry predicting various departures from the club come the end of the season, with Stephane M’Bia being the latest edition to the list of players who might say ‘Au Revoir’ to the club this summer. For the club’s faithful fans, listening to rumours about their favourite players leaving is nothing short of a nightmare.
The club’s recruitment policy is going to cost the French giants dearly in the near future. According to OM president Jean-Michel Dossier, the club is not willing to offer contract extensions to players whose contracts are going to expire this June. Furthermore, the French champions are also looking to reduce the payroll, meaning the OM hierarchy might offload a few players to reduce the wage burden.
The club is destined towards a mediocre status as they no longer aspire to keep hold of their best players. It has become common knowledge to all Les Phoceens supporters that Argentine duo, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gonzalez-c15099, would not be at the Velodrome next season. Worst still, coach Didier Deschamp’s future at the club is far from certain. The factors forcing Deschamp towards a switch are many. Even if the tactician decides to stay with the club, his assistant coach, Guy Stephan, and goalkeeper Steve Mandanda’s mentor, Nicholas Dehon are likely to be axed from the backroom staff. Deschamps would certainly not want to stay without his trusted colleagues.
All this uncertainty surrounding the club’s future has really changed the atmosphere at the Rhone club. Stephane M’Bia, who has been with the club since 2009, was the latest player to be linked with an exit. Where the player has come out in the press to moot the transfer speculation regarding his future, the club seems adamant to let the player go. While talking to the media, the midfielder said that he has a contract with the club and has made it clear that he would not be leaving the club any time soon. The player has shown commitment on his part, but such statements will stand for little come the summer transfer window.
On the other hand, the case of Argentine international Gabriel Heinze is a curious one indeed. The 33-year-old is in the twilight of his career but earns a mammoth 4.5 million Euros annually. The former PSG man is being tracked by Middle Eastern teams, and the club must get rid of the burden at the earliest. However, rumours surrounding Lucho Gonzalez’s future make for a complicated reading. The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Porto-c39186 man has been a live wire for the club this season. Marseille paid 18 million Euros for his services in 2009 but 15 million Euros is reported to be the asking price set for him now.
While Marseille might still be in with a chance of retaining the Championelle and winning the Coupe de la Ligue, the long-term future of the club looks bleak. The recruitment policies adopted by the Dassier-Anigo duo will backfire. A review is needed sooner than later.
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