Le Stade Velodrome in Marseille last saw the Ligue 1 title in 2009-10, and five seasons on, it does not seem that France’s famed and most historic club will be receiving the trophy any time soon. With financial faux pas at the forefront of the club’s fall from grace, the biggest side on the French Riviera could soon sink to the lower reaches of the Ligue 1 table in years to come if serious issues are not ironed out.
The most obvious sign of decline is the exodus of the club’s top stars and iconic players of the last five years. Andre Ayew, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Dimitri Payet, all heading for foreign shores, leaving Marseille for pastures new. It could be seen as jumping ship before the fall truly begins, to Swansea City, Tigres UANL and West Ham United respectively. Each club is arguably smaller and without doubt not bathed in the history that a club like Marseille is. The answer is money, with Ayew and Gignac failing to agree terms on new contracts, whilst the lure of London and the Premier League being too great for Payet, albeit a move to West Ham, hardly the most glittering of clubs that the French talisman could have departed to.
Similarly, one of Marseille’s top young talents, Gianelli Imbula, is also set to be heading for the exit door from Stade Velodrome with a whole host of top European clubs expressing an interest. Internazionale, FC Porto and Valencia CF are all reportedly offering the France U21 star a passage into another top European league.
This begs the question: what is happening at Olympique Marseille? Four of the club’s first-team players from last season, which only saw the team finish fourth, have left or are set to leave, meaning that Marseille will have to rely heavily on youth next season if the money from Payet’s sale and Imbula’s anticipated sale is not reinvested. This remains unlikely with the club still in debt, which has been the catalyst for the auctioning of players at cut prices and getting high earners such as Ayew and Gignac off the wage bill.
The departure of Payet, who created 134 chances last term, more than any other player in the top five European leagues, will surely hit the club hard, and improving on the fourth place finish in 2014-15 will be a tough task considering the financial might of PSG and AS Monaco, while Olympique Lyonnais can rely on the hot form of striker Alexandre Lacazette. Contrastingly, Marseille have lost two of their main strikers, their playmaker and potentially their anchor in central midfield, leaving their spine severely depleted. Head Coach Marcelo Bielsa will hope his youth players can step up to the plate and perform in the first team, with youngsters such as Michy Batshuayi looking to shine in the permanent absence of Ayew and Gignac.
Michy Batshuayi is a little known entity, however the Belgian international of Congolese descent is a promising youngster in the ranks of Olympique Marseille. Signed last summer from former club Standard Liege, where he netted 40 league goals in the Belgian Pro League, Batshuayi found breaking into the Marseille first team difficult last term, taking on the role of third-choice striker. Nevertheless, his ability to score nine Ligue 1 goals in 23 appearances was a great sign of maturity and encouragement from the 21-year old. Impressive as an understudy, and expected to lead the line in attack next season, Batshuayi could yet better his goals tally of last season and help steady the proverbial sinking ship. One of a few exciting youth prospects at Le Stade Velodrome, turning to youth may be a real possibility for OM instead of purchasing players for large transfer fees, with long contracts on huge salaries. Only time will tell if the method of trusting young talent will pay off, as honing rough diamonds to be able to perform at the top level is no easy task.
Another cost-cutting measure may be delving into the loan market, which was experimented with in the second half of the 2014-15 season; Lucas Ocampos swapping AS Monaco for Marseille on a six-month loan deal where he made 12 uninspiring performances. However, Olympique Marseille’s board may not be willing to take too many loan players on board as the hallmark of the biggest clubs in Europe and France isn’t a squad heavily reliant on loan stars, but it remains a possibility.
While the glory days of Didier Deschamps, Marcel Desailly and Jean-Pierre Papin may be long gone, there is some hope for the Marseille faithful that a new batch of young Olympiens can lead the way, albeit a faint hope. The club that once won the inaugural Champions League Final in 1993 has descended down the pecking order of European football, and has seemingly begun its descent into mid-table mediocrity in France, unless drastic measures are made to reimburse and reinvigorate not only the playing staff but also the transfer budget.
