By counting down the days until the restart, which should take place on Thursday, with a transfer window as flat as the Mediterranean, we wondered if president Pablo Longoria and his men had not calmed down. But the Olympian club has finally reached an agreement with its first recruit who calls for (many) others, a usual frenzy at this time of year. The Marseille leaders have therefore tied up the arrival of Ismaël Koné from Watford for a compensation of around €12 million. A tidy sum for a Championship player who will be the first recruit of the Roberto De Zerbi era.
The Italian coach will have to be patient to see him on the pitches of La Commanderie: Koné is currently playing in the Copa America and he will face Chile, in the group stage, on the night of Saturday to Sunday. The Canadian international (21 caps) will perhaps take advantage of the opportunity to discuss his future club with a former Olympian, Alexis Sanchez, but he was already convinced by the prospect of joining France and OM.
Five-year contract
He should also carry out his medical examination in the United States to save time, as Faris Moumbagna was able to do in Cameroon, in January, during the CAN, in a similar situation. Olympian leaders had been interested in Koné for several weeks already and they probably did not need to travel to Bordeaux on June 9 to attend the friendly match between France and Canada (0-0), to convince themselves of the potential of this athletic midfielder, who will sign a five-year contract.
His arrival is part of a major overhaul of a sector of the game where the cards should be largely reshuffled: Pape Gueye resisted the pressure to see out his contract and he must sign with Villarreal; Jordan Veretout would no longer be seen as indispensable and his departure would be considered; as for Valentin Rongier, uncertainty still hangs over his ability to return to his level after a season or so in the infirmary.
Greenwood tracked in attack, but…
Koné, for his part, benefits from the arrival of De Zerbi, who observed him closely in England. Born in Ivory Coast, left for Canada at a very young age and spotted in the Championship (English D2), he has already travelled a lot and changed environments for his age (22 years old). This ability to adapt seduced the leaders when it came to redesigning a team compatible with the philosophy of the coach who arrived from Brighton. Other files are still in progress, starting with that of Lilian Brassier. An agreement with Brest on the basis of a loan with a mandatory purchase option of around €11 million plus a percentage on resale is about to be concluded.
Furthermore, discussions continue in the offensive sector with Bachir Belloumi (Farense), while the case of Mason Greenwood has been studied but the arrival of the English player (Manchester United, returning from loan from Getafe) is very complicated, and not just for sporting reasons. OM supporters have already launched a protest movement on social networks to denounce a signing of the player, accused of domestic violence in 2022 before the charges were dropped…
