Earlier today, we covered part of the press conference Marseille put in place for the transfer of Celtic’s Olivier Ntcham.
The player was asked about his role in the mess his arrival caused, with André Villas-Boas using it as an excuse to resign from a club where he hadn’t seemed happy for some time.
Brought in to plug the gap left by the sale of Morgan Sanson to Aston Villa, Ntcham laughed off the drama, explaining he was somewhat surprised by the Portuguese’s claims, as, despite stating otherwise, the former Chelsea manager was fully aware of the Celtic man’s arrival.
Either way, with AVB now a thing of the past in the south of France, Marseille’s director of football, Pablo Longoria, defended the transfer in the same press conference.
He said, relayed by Le10 Sport: “You have to look at what’s best for the establishment. Ntcham was a very good opportunity on the market, very good for the club’s future too. I have a lot of respect for André, but it’s not my style to get into controversies…
“He was an important player at Celtic who scored and assisted. He can play every position in midfield. He’s got both technical and physical qualities. We’re convinced he’ll bring us something else. It’s a loan with a view to buy”.
That last bit isn’t a secret, nor is it that Marseille have to pay Celtic €6m or so if they want to make the move permanent.
Ntcham is now expected to feature some shape or form against Auxerre in the French Cup, thus making his first appearance for his new club.
