He probably thought of turning the page. Leaving OM, finding a club, going back to combat. But a month after the end of his contract with Marseille, Chancel Mbemba is still without a fall point. The Congolese defender, however courted, did not take the slightest stage in this transfer window. And for good reason: its financial requirements slow down all interested clubs. A scenario that strangely recalls that of last year.
A white year that did not fold it
Relegated to the closet all the 2024-2025 season, Mbemba has not set foot in Marseille colors since last summer. A dismissal assumed by the Olympian management, following an internal disagreement. Far from the spotlights but still determined, the 34 -year -old hung on his convictions. He refused any departure during the season, preferring to train with the reserve and wait for the summer transfer window.
The problem is that the wait does not seem to have made it more flexible. According to Foot transfer windowMbemba today calls for a salary higher than that he received in Marseille (around € 320,000 monthly), with a signing bonus. Even Paris FC, seduced by its profile and its availability, had to go back to such conditions. And this is not an isolated case: several clubs in Ligue 1 or the Gulf have come up against the same wall.
The world's online world, but at what price?
Despite a white year in club, Mbemba continues to be selected with DR Congo, and does not intend to give in a thumb on its requirements. An assumed choice, but which questions. One year from the 2026 World Cup, for which the DRC is well left, can it afford a second white season? A World Cup without rhythm or match in the legs could tarnish an end of career, however promising.
Nothing says that Chancel Mbemba will change strategy. But the risk is there: that of staying in the shadows for another year, out of loyalty to a line of conduct which, little by little, becomes a trap. The transfer window is still long. But clubs will not wait forever.
