This is one of the black periods in OM history. A few weeks after the final of the 2004 UEFA Cup lost against Valence (2-0), Didier Drogba, author of a phenomenal season at 32 goals, was sold in Chelsea. Club president Christophe Bouchet was not refused a historic offer of 37.5 million euros (only Michy Batshuayi was sold more expensive in the history of the club).
The all new sports director Pape Diouf and coach José Anigo will then achieve an XXL recruitment, in particular by drawing on the talents of Ligue 1, with the arrival of Frédéric Déhu and Demetrius Ferreira in defense (as well as the 98 Bixente world champion Lizarazu, free of any contract), Eduardo Costa and Benoît Pedretti Luyinndula, Fabrice Fiorèse and Habib Bamogo in attack.
With Bixente Lizarazu, Habib Bamogo, Fabien Barthez and Steve Marlet.
The season was particularly painful, with the replacement of José Anigo by Philippe Troussier in November, despite the emergence of Samir Nasri, a talented attacking midfielder formed at the club. The Phocaeans managed to finish 5th in the classification to qualify in the Intertototo Cup (for the summer epic with Jean Fernandez at the controls, with the final won against Corogne at the Vélodrome stadium).
Pedretti-Anigo, “It was war”
Habib Bamogo returns to his passage to the Canebière in the last special issue of The team. Revelation of Montpellier (16 goals scored in the 2003-2004 season), the former international hope only scored 6 goals in 32 matches in all competitions before being loaned to FC Nantes. It must be said that José Anigo, who found himself a sports director – in direct conflict with a Pope Diouf who became president -, made a big cleaning and notably targeted Benoît Pedretti, who had not managed to become the leader of the Olympian team.
“I understood at that time that the situation escaped us. Everyone was asking questions. Pedretti fled. Between him and Anigo, it was war. I too got confused with him, while Jean Fernandez encouraged me to hang on. I would have liked to work with him, but the club was going to recruit (Christian) Giménez and 'El Condor' (Andrés Mendoza). Anigo maneuvered behind our backs “tells the one who has been retired since 2014 in the issue of The team
bringing together the recent interviews “Exhibitions of ex”.
