Confusion reigns at Marseille – again.
Just hours after the transfer window slammed shut, manager Andre Villas-Boas is threatening to storm out the back door after Olivier Ntcham swapped Celtic for the Stade Velodrome against his wishes on deadline-day.
But it wasn’t just the sudden arrival of a France U21 international that had AVB scribbling his resignation on a nearby napkin.
Speaking to TMW a few weeks ago, speedy winger Nemanja Radonjic made it clear that he had ‘no intention’ of walking away from Marseille despite interest from both West Ham United and Southampton (Mirror, 6 December, page 63).
So if Villas-Boas was already feeling the strain of coaching one of Europe’s most hectic and muddled clubs, Radonjic’s unexpected, last-gasp departure, coupled with Ntcham’s arrival, felt like the straw that gave the camel a nasty case of lumbago.
“I said no to the signing of Olivier Ntcham. He wasn’t on our list. I had nothing to do with this decision. Ntcham is a player I said no to. I was not aware (that he’d signed), I learned it in the press this morning when I woke up,” a furious AVB said in quotes reported by the Sun.
“Even for Nemanja Radonjic, I was informed that very morning.”
According to Fussbal Transfers, big-spending Hertha Berlin have signed the Serbia international on an £11 million loan-to-buy deal.
Perhaps wary of making a rather poor first impression at his new club, Radonjic did his very best to convince Hertha supporters that he was, in fact, very happy to have swapped Southern France for Eastern Germany.
“I had no clear certainty with OM. It was one of the main reasons I thought about leaving,” said Radonjic, who claims to have a top speed of 21 mph.
You would imagine that Villas-Boas will be moving at a similar speed as he looks to escape the footballing Sarlacc Pit that is Marseille.
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