A furious cry.
This Wednesday, against OGC Nice, Saîf-Eddine Khaoui, already demonstrative on his first achievement, let out all the frustration he had accumulated for months by celebrating his second goal of the evening.
The Tunisian international, who offered the three points to Olympique de Marseille (3-2), was waiting for only one thing: to be given a chance.
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"I've been waiting for this for so long"
Saîf-Eddine Khaoui
This opportunity, he owes it to Nasser Larguet.
Since the director of the training center took over the first team on a temporary basis, the cards have been redistributed within the Olympian squad.
The player trained in Tours was able to realize this for the first time on February 10, against Auxerre in the Coupe de France, when he was aligned from the start of the meeting in a three-way environment.
Against the AJA, Saîf-Eddine Khaoui was not decisive but he was still interesting in the game. Thanks to his technical quality, he was useful in the conservation of the ball and in the projection towards the front, two areas in which the Marseille club had gaps since the start of the season.
His good performance allowed him to experience his first start of the season in Ligue 1 - but also his first in the league with OM since August 2016 - against the Aiglons.
The one who has one of the lowest salaries of the Marseille workforce did not miss this chance.
The Tunisian also seemed particularly relieved after the final whistle: “I had been waiting for a long time to have a chance to start starting.
I've been waiting for this for so long ... I was lucky to have had the confidence of the coach, and that changes a whole player, ”he declared, visibly moved, at the microphone of
Canal +
in post-match interview.
️ "I was lucky to have had the confidence of the coach and that changes a player (...) I've been waiting for this for a long time, it's been my favorite club since I was little"
Joy and the emotion of Saïf-Eddine Khaoui after #OMOGCN and his double ☺️ ️ pic.twitter.com/kElDkev0kF
- Canal Football Club (@CanalFootClub) February 17, 2021
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Put away by Rudi Garcia and André Villas-Boas
Before evolving under the orders of Nasser Larguet, Saîf-Eddine Khaoui knew other coaches in Marseille.
Arrived in the summer of 2016 from Tours, he first worked with Franck Passi, who gave him a little playing time. But from October and the arrival of Rudi Garcia, the attacking midfielder has been put aside.
Unwanted by the French technician, he was loaned twice, to ESTAC and Caen, where he managed to shine (5 goals and 2 assists with Troyes) but clearly lacked consistency.
Back at OM in the summer of 2019, the left-hander could hope to find a place in the workforce of André Villas-Boas.
But the Portuguese clearly wasn't counting on him.
As proof, while Florian Thauvin was unavailable for a large part of the season, the former Porto coach established non-specialist players in the right-winger position to the detriment of Khaoui, able to evolve there.
But it must be said that the results of Marseille, which will finally finish 2nd in the championship, reinforced the former coach of Chelsea and Tottenham in his choices.
This season, before being laid off, the Lusitanian brought him in several times as a left-back.
A position he did not know but where he still managed to provide offensive quality, even offering an assist to Valère Germain against Montpellier.
Even without the confidence of his coaches, the Tunisian has never relaxed: “I'm very happy for Khaoui, we took him out of the closet a bit.
He's serious, I've never seen him complain, ”explained Nasser Larguet to journalists after Marseille's victory against Nice.
This Saturday (5 p.m.), against FC Nantes, Saîf-Eddine Khaoui should have the opportunity - whether as a holder or a replacement - to confirm his good performance on Wednesday.
And to convince Marseille leaders to extend it when his contract comes to an end?
OM's top 5 goals against FC Nantes
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