A penny is a penny.
Especially in times of Covid-19.
This Tuesday, Pablo Longoria, the sports director of Olympique de Marseille, made a point of recalling it during the presentation of the fourth (if we do not take into account the final transfer of Alvaro Gonzalez, already there last season) and possibly last summer recruit of the Marseille club: Luis Henrique.
Thus, if the media evaluated the amount of his transfer from Botafogo between 10 and 12 million euros, Longoria wanted to rectify immediately.
“I saw a lot of figures circulating in the press, around 12 million euros.
It's wrong.
It is much less.
When we look at the transfers of Brazilian attacking players over the past three seasons, we see that he is below average.
Whether this is an expensive price, the future will tell.
I believe we invested the right amount for a player of his worth.
We believe we have found a good deal with Botafogo. ”
“He's got speed, power. He's a player of the future (...) I'm a big follower of Luis. "
Pablo Longoria
Obviously, it remains to be seen what the Spanish leader means by “much less”, since he was careful not to reveal the official amount.
If it is 8 million euros plus any bonuses, the difference could turn out to be tiny.
Still, Longoria's will lies - perhaps - in removing pressure from the young 18-year-old striker, already awaited by some impatient on the banks of the Canebière as the possible offensive messiah so long awaited .
And without the slightest comparison with the Barcelona Messi, of course.
Longoria, for his part, was content to paint a flattering portrait of his recruit: “He has speed and power.
He's a player of the future.
He played 19 matches with Botafogo's first team, with a record of 2 goals and 5 assists.
I am a big follower of Luis.
He did great things that caught the eye of recruiters. "
Sitting next to him, André Villas-Boas, the Olympian coach, unsurprisingly did not contradict: “He had a good training session.
He is an attacking player who can play in different positions.
He's explosive, strong. ”
"I had proposals but I preferred OM for the size of the club and the possibility of working with a Portuguese coach."
Luis Henrique
So much so that Villas-Boas would not exclude the possibility of including him in the group for the shock against Lyon on Sunday (9:00 p.m.), on behalf of the 6th day of Ligue 1. The main interested party, he recited the text that any good recruit pronounces upon his induction into a new team.
But by being more convincing than average.
“I had proposals but I preferred OM for the size of the club and the possibility of working with a Portuguese coach.
It allows me to adapt better.
It's a dream to come and play here.
It is a dream that I am realizing. ”
While waiting to see "the nugget" - to use the words of Villas-Boas - at work, Longoria spoke of the end of the Marseille transfer window which will end on October 5.
In particular with regard to the direction of departures.
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“We have a somewhat large squad compared to normal in Europe,” confirmed Longoria, without a hint of language, but without naming any names as well.
“We are working on the departures of players who know their situation.
The transfer window is open until October 5, we'll see how it ends.
But you have to understand that we are in a very special transfer window, which started only ten days ago… It is just starting to move. ”
Among the players expected to be able to leave, the sporting director removed from the list Nemanja Radonjic, whose market value could however prove to be interesting.
“Nemanja has a contract (until 2023), he knows his situation and enters the rotation of the team.
He brings us, especially with his speed, when he enters the field.
I must therefore be clear about his situation: Nemanja is not on the start list, we must not get rid of him at any cost. "
A curious last statement, which could imply the opposite: namely that the 24-year-old Serb can leave in the event of an offer deemed satisfactory.
The next five days promise to be lively at the Commanderie, and Villas-Boas must be looking forward to October 6 to know who he can count on this season.
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