Some former residents of Olympique de Marseille are definitely having trouble bouncing back. In Germany, Elye Wahi would already be pushed towards the exit by Eintracht Frankfurt, while the German club had made a specialty of selling off its attackers at a high price (Jovic, Kolo Muani, Marmoush, Ekitike). In Italy, it is Valentin Carboni and Vitinha who are not laughing at Patrick Vieira's Genoa. Nineteenth and penultimate in the Serie A standings, Il Grifone is struggling and has the second worst attack in the Italian championship (3 goals scored). And among the players targeted by the Italian press are two former Marseillais. The first is Valentin Carboni.
Carboni, a starter who became a substitute
At 20, the Argentinian midfielder was loaned to Genoa last summer after going through a very difficult period. At Marseille, he only played four matches before suffering a serious knee injury with his national team. An injury which forced OM to cancel their loan. “I don’t know how it would have happened without the injury. Of course, it was a great opportunity to take the plunge, especially because De Zerbi really wanted me, but things turned out differently. I now resume with the enthusiasm of this magnificent World Cup. We also played against a great Argentinian team (River Plate editor’s note), but I am 100% interist”declared the player last June. Returning to Italy, Carboni had to wait until the start of the 2025/2026 season to return to the pitch.
The Albiceleste international then thought of taking his revenge by scoring in his very first match with the Grifone against Vicenza in the Italian Cup (3-0) on August 15. He then continued with two starts in his first two Serie A matches against Lecce (0-0) and Juventus (0-1). A promising start for Vieira. “He is not yet 100% physically. In the few games he has played, he has demonstrated his technique, creativity and ability to score goals, but he can still bring a lot to the team. He is a player who knows how to dribble, who knows how to create scoring chances in the last 30 meters, he is someone who understands the game well. He still has work to do defensively, he needs to progress in this area, but since his arrival he has shown his willingness to learn and it is a pleasure to work with him», declared the French coach two months ago.
What followed was less glorious. Restricted to a substitute role for four matches, Carboni is in tough times (8 matches, 1 goal), but remains supported by his coach. “Don't forget that Carboni is coming off an injury and hasn't played for a long time. » For its part, Inter is monitoring this situation closely. The Nerazzurri's objective is to allow Carboni to progress and the Lombards have even agreed to pay a bonus of €1 million to Genoa in the event of high playing time. But for the moment, the 2025 European vice-champions are far from having signed this check. Another tough ex-Marseillais, Vitinha is not the striker who is supposed to help his team score decisive goals. After a rather disappointing 2024/2025 season (2 goals, 3 assists in 27 matches, all competitions), the Portuguese explained that he had finally acclimated to his new environment.
Vitinha still silent
“I want to become the Vitinha of Braga again, we are all working to achieve this goal. The program is going as planned, we are managing training loads well to avoid injuries. Vieira also does a great job in this regard. This is actually my third season at Genoa, but there's no denying that injuries have held me back so far. (…) Different things. If I have to help the team, I do it with pleasure. I can play further back or deeper. No matter what, I will always work to prove that I can be a starter. Give your all: that’s my philosophy of life on and off the field. First, I'm finally comfortable with Italian, and that's important. And then, in Genoa, I found love thanks to Martina. She's a positive person: she's not a fan of Rossoblù, but she supports me in everything I do. And with her, I now have the emotional stability that I lacked: yes, I am more serene and happier», he confided to the Gazzetta dello Sport on July 24.
Since then, the most expensive former recruit in the history of OM (surpassed this summer by Igor Paixão and his €34 million, editor's note) has struggled to put words into action. This season, he did the opposite of Carboni. Substitute during the first two Serie A matches, he played the last four matches as a starter. Unfortunately for him, it was not a sign of improvement. In six matches, the Lusitanian has not scored a single goal. In September, the club's sporting director Marco Ottolini declared: “Vitinha chose to stay and we have confidence in him“. Still, for the moment, the nets are not shaking. “There are missing points (in the ranking), but not quality”wanted to reassure Vieira a few days ago. Has the international break done any good? Answer next weekend against Parma.
