Patrice Evra’s time at Marseille is probably best forgotten, but that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
The now West Ham player was a disappointment at the French club, having signed as a free agent after leaving Juventus. Big things were expected and Evra failed to live up to them, eventually physically clashing with a fan and being forced out of the club.
But it’s how he entered Marseille which France Football, via Le10 Sport, are concerned with his week.
The French football magazine have been speaking to an intermediary and it’s suggested Lyon interest in Evra was fabricated, which ultimately meant Marseille paid him more.
An agent is quoted as saying: “Lyon and Aulas pretended to be interested in the French international all the way to the end, but only to push OM up to the curtain. Eyraud and Zubizarreta wanted to hit hard for their first market. Evra has benefited. McCourt has aligned himself with the Juventus player’s salary by offering him one more season, at age thirty-five…. it has always been a good war between the two Olympics.”
Should the suggestions be correct then Lyon and their president Jean-Michel Aulas fabricated the interest to force their rivals into paying more.
If West Ham have alligned themselves with what Evra was getting paid at Marseille, which there’s no suggestion of from France Football, then it’ll have cost them too.
Marseille fans are likely to think even less of the player now.
