Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivère has admitted they couldn’t afford to buy Neal Maupay from Everton this summer, so now must face him as a Marseille player.
Nice-Matin cover the Everton striker today, who is spending the season on loan at Marseille and prepares to take on his old club this weekend.
Maupay was keen to leave Everton throughout the summer after a miserable few years at the club where he never settled or impressed anybody.
He spent last season on loan at Brentford but they decided against a permanent move and it appeared one would not be happening until Marseille made a late bid to get him.
A loan deal was eventually wrapped up between them and Everton for this season, which will be turned permanent next summer if all goes to plan.
Marseille are more than happy with the deal they’ve done and could hand the striker his debut this weekend as an injury to Elye Wahi has created a gap in Roberto de Zerbi’s starting 11.
That comes with some irony as Nice as the club where he started his career, and could have joined again this summer if the finances were right. That, though, was not the case according to Jean-Pierre Rivère.
“Neal is a boy I really like, who started with us, but financially, he was not affordable for us. Apart from against us, I wish him the best,” he said when asked about the striker.
And what about Maupay, does he know where his allegiances lie? That appears to be a definitive yes for the Everton loanee, even if he admits there’s a tug on a heartstrings.
“Nice is my city, I grew up here, my parents still live in Valbonne, I live in Nice”, he added.
“As soon as I have a weekend or I am on vacation, I am here. It is my home. I love the city, the club. In Nice I experienced and won everything as a youth, the Gambardella (2012) in particular. It really left its mark on me.”
“(But) when I wear a jersey, I give 200% every day, in training or in a match. There may be my wife and children in front, I will not give anything away. I will always give everything, I have a mentality that fits with the Marseille supporters.”
