President of Olympique de Marseille for a little over a year, Pablo Longoria is also in charge of the transfer window. A subject he discussed at length this Friday in an interview. Selected pieces.
Arrived at Olympique de Marseille in the summer of 2020, Pablo Longoria has continued to climb the ladder. President for about a year, the Spaniard is also invested in the transfer window, a sector where his work is praised. But the former Valencia manager will have to deal with an important deal this summer since the Marseille club could be banned from recruiting following the dispute between him and Watford in the context of the transfer of Pape Gueye.
Longoria evokes the transfer window
But Longoria continues to work normally as he explained on a daily basis Provence this Friday. A long interview where he set the goals for the next transfer market. “It depends a lot on Kamara’s extension. We will have a numerical shortage in the defensive midfielder position. The market will also depend on the sales possibilities available to us. In attacking positions, we will have to make a decision about Amine Harit. He is on loan, it is up to us to know if we continue with him or if we position ourselves on another player..
The fate of William Saliba, also on loan, is not yet sealed. “It’s a three-way question. For the player’s owning club, Arsenal, the player and OM. We have to see our possibilities. He is very good here, we are very satisfied with his performance. William is one of the best young defenders I’ve seen in my career. After all, everything depends on the three parties. It’s a real question of value, of the market. But we have extraordinary relations with Arsenal..
The president still believes in it for Kamara
Mattéo Guendouzi and Cengiz Ünder, whose purchase obligations are linked to maintenance, they are guaranteed to stay, barring disaster. Files easier to manage for Pablo Longoria than that concerning Arkadiusz Milik, whose situation at OM is talking about. “He has a contract, he knows his status and the respect the club has for him. Situations change. A substitute becomes holder the following week. This is the life of the athlete. No one can guarantee him a starting position..
Finally, the big summer file will concern Boubacar Kamara, free on June 30. “I assume my responsibilities, I have been here for a year and a half. Losing a player at the end of the contract, especially one of your best and one of the best values in the squad, is always a failure. I believe in the old values of football, in attachment. In recent weeks, we were still working to find a solution. I’m confident. In life, I am optimistic. Until the last moment, until I have a definitive no, I will believe it. I never give up”. Pablo Longoria still has four months to pull off another miracle.
