Marseille’s crisis: sales of the stars, cuts to the wage bill and a table that makes grim reading. The future is not rosy
Three games, three points. One win and two defeats, the latest on Sunday at home to Paris FC. Marseille have started the Ligue 1 season with the handbrake on, hardly a surprise after a summer spent watching and dreaming of reinforcements they had no chance of landing. The new signings column still shows a big fat zero, no fresh face has arrived at the Velodrone and the outlook is not encouraging. OM president Stéphane Richard has now confirmed as much, saying the austerity measures will continue in the coming months. It is unavoidable if the club are to stay within DNCG parameters.
"The cuts are not over yet"
"Overall, the squad is smaller and we have managed to make a significant cut to the wage bill," Richard said. "This is unprecedented in the club's history over such a short period. We are still negotiating with some players, and I thank them. Some came forward of their own accord, others said they wanted to be part of this crucial effort, which we must make so that we can show everything we have achieved at the end of the year ahead of the meeting with the DNCG (French football's financial watchdog). Our trajectory has completely changed compared with the last two seasons. We have not yet reached our goal, that is clear, but everything we can still do will help our cause, in our case before the DNCG at the end of the year."
Greenwood gone, Genesio ‘argues’ over Paixao
Under pressure from the DNCG and European Financial Fair Play regulations, Marseille have committed to cutting their wage bill from €160 million to less than €100 million. They have already reduced it by 30-35%, but that is not enough. OM will keep working to bring it down and push through potential transfers to raise money from sales. In recent years, under the Longoria and Benatia management, they have bitten off more than they can chew, also to satisfy De Zerbi. Without the revenue from Champions League qualification, the lean years have suddenly begun.
For now, the haemorrhage has not stopped: in the summer, key players such as Greenwood, Timber and Rulli left. Aubameyang, Balerdi and Pavard were stopped at the last minute, as were Paixao and Hojbjerg, for whom Bruno Genesio intervened. OM do need to balance the books, but they cannot afford to spend a season in the shadows. The fanbase are demanding and deserve more.
Everything on Gouiri’s shoulders
Marseille today are much the same side that failed to qualify for Europe's top competition a few months ago. De Lange, last year Rulli's understudy, has stepped up to become first choice, while the old guard remain in defence with Emerson Palmieri, Aguerd and Egan Riley. Hojbjerg is still the pillar in midfield, while up front the goals have to come from Paixao, Gouiri, who has scored 4 times in 3 matches, and Harit, back after his spell at Basaksehir. Then there's Faris Moumbagna, last year a mystery figure at Cremona (5 appearances, 88 minutes played, 0 goals). For Genesio to qualify for Europe, he will need something close to a miracle: it will take time before OM are fighting again for the places that matter. A lot of time.
