The cold shower fell on the edge of the stars. While Marseille supporters had their heads turned towards the Champions League clash against Liverpool, Mehdi Benatia took advantage of the Canal+ microphone to almost definitively put out the transfer window fire. The Himad Abdelli file, which has kept the Olympian people in suspense since the opening of the market, now seems to be at an impasse for this winter. The OM sporting director was sharp: if the player really pleases management and Roberto De Zerbi, there is no question of overpaying for a free agent in six months. The message has gotten through, and it looks very much like a final clap for an arrival in January.
A plan B already ready to be drawn
The blocking point is purely financial, but it is impassable for the moment. While Angers is demanding nearly 5 million euros to release its playing master, OM refuses to go beyond two million. Benatia invoked the necessary ” consistency “
amounts. Despite the “good relationships”
between Pablo Longoria and the Angevin management, the gap is too big. It is a terrible disillusionment for the Algerian international, currently sidelined and sent to reserve by the SCO, who sees his dream of joining Canebière immediately slip away dangerously.
But OM will not let themselves be cornered. Benatia handled the stick with skill, saying that if no agreement was reached with Angers, the club would not rule out
“the arrival of another player in the middle”. A way of saying that the Marseille institution does not depend on Abdelli alone and that an alternative is already on the table to fill this need for a technical profile capable of evolving in 6, 8 or 10. Ultimate bluff to force the hand of Angers or real activation of an emergency route? The answer will come in the coming days, but Marseille has clearly regained control in the negotiations.
Timber and Nwaneri to compensate
If the Abdelli track cools down, OM still wanted to reassure about its ambitions. Benatia confirmed the club’s aggressive strategy with the signing of Quinten Timber for four and a half years. The Dutchman, initially targeted for the summer, arrives now for “get ahead of the competition”seduced by the De Zerbi project. Same observation for the young Ethan Nwaneri, loaned to double the position of Mason Greenwood, an opportunity seized thanks to the aura of the Italian coach, very respected across the Channel despite the turbulence in Ligue 1.
For Himad Abdelli, the horizon therefore seems to be closing in until next July, when he will be able to join OM for free. Unless there is a spectacular turnaround from the SCO in the final hours of the transfer window, the Algerian will have to be patient. OM have drawn their red line, and Benatia has just proven that he did not intend to cross it, even if it meant disappointing part of the Vélodrome who were waiting for this immediate technical reinforcement.
