We finally know why Alexis Sanchez did not extend his contract with OM.
OM misses Alexis Sanchez a lot at the moment. Faced with the difficulties that the Marseille attack has encountered in recent matches, the void left by the Chilean after his departure is more and more apparent.
Longoria blames Alexis Sanchez
Sanchez took charge of Inter Milan after only one season spent in the Marseille city. Couldn’t he stay any longer? The theory that has been circulating is that the Marseille management did not do everything to retain him. Pablo Longoria, the club’s boss, has just categorically refuted it.
“Alexis Sanchez is an extraordinary player, began by recalling the Marseille president on RMC Sport. The level he displayed with Olympique de Marseille was exceptional and I would like to thank him for it. But there is always, around football and especially around OM, a situation of general disinformation which makes it very difficult to maintain a common line in communication to put the truth at the center of the discussion. He was offered a contract extension in May, he procrastinated and tried to do a little speculation.”
🔴 The president of Olympique de Marseille Pablo Longoria spoke at length to the microphone of RMC Sport. The club’s disappointing start to the season, the departure of Marcelino, the level of the attackers, relations with supporters, recruitment: he did not avoid any questions.
— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) November 14, 2023
OM was generous with Sanchez
Then asked if the former Barcelona player was too greedy in his demands, Longoria replied: “Everyone defends their own interests, I cannot judge everyone’s strategy. It would be a lack of respect for a player who had an extraordinary season and for whom I have enormous personal respect. At the same time, in building this squad, we prioritized the qualities of speed and acceleration in the profile of the offensive players. We thought about all the player associations, and we favored characteristics other than his own.”
Longoria then clarified that Aubameyang receives a lower salary than that which was promised to Sanchez: “To tell the truth, the last offer we made to Alexis Sanchez was higher than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s salary, even including the signing bonus granted to both players. He did not refuse, but he procrastinated.”
