Marseille’s Shrewd Move: How OM Landed World Cup Sensation Azzedine Ounahi

Former SCO Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi joined OM as part of a €10m contract, including bonuses, at the end of the winter transfer window. Javier Ribalta, the club’s football director, revealed the behind-the-scenes of this signing, which he is delighted with. "To be honest, we started talking to Ounahi before the World Cup. The World Cup came and it killed everything because from that moment on he had become unattainable. So we said to ourselves: ’OK, let’s take the risk and wait a bit. If he leaves, he leaves and we’ll miss him, but we won’t make crazy offers that we can’t afford.’ After a little while, the transfer window is moving forward so we got together and said it was time to go," he explained, before adding: "And honestly, I think it’s a very good transfer for us."

So far, Moroccan international Azzedine Ounahi has scored one goal in three appearances under the OM jersey.