Mercato OM: Fonseca, Marcelino or a mystery coach?
With two weeks to go before training resumes, OM are still looking for a new coach. It won't be Marcelo Gallardo, who has turned down the job. Paulo Fonseca, who Lille want to keep, Marcelino, who is available, or even a third man are possible options for the Phocaean club.
OM had hoped to close the succession to Igor Tudor last week, but lost time on the Marcelo Gallardo dossier, which was eventually closed. The Argentinian, not fully convinced by the OM project according to his entourage, held off for a long time before declining Marseille's offer on Saturday evening. What next?
On Sunday, Paulo Fonseca 's name was back in the news in Marseille. From RMC Sport to La Provence and L'Equipe, all reported that OM were keen to recruit the Portuguese coach, who was very interested in signing for Marseille. The problem is that Paulo Fonseca still has a one-year contract with LOSC, who are unwilling to part with him.
Létang closes the door on Paulo Fonseca
I can reaffirm that Paulo will be LOSC's coach next year," Lille president Olivier Létang told La Voix du Nord on Sunday evening. We're very proud that he's being courted, it proves the quality of his work and of our project at LOSC."
He then went on to tackle OM, without naming them: "He had the honesty to inform me quickly of the interest shown in him by certain clubs. I would have liked these clubs to have done the same, but today's priority is to reassure our supporters that our project and our staff are stable. Paulo is happy at LOSC and with him we hope to achieve the objectives we have set ourselves."
Paolo Fonseca va rester au Losc la saison prochaine.
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) June 18, 2023
Does this end the Fonseca story for good, or does it launch a new soap opera, with Pablo Longoria having to use his talents to buy out the last year of Fonseca's contract? The French media remain cautious for the time being, but all agree that if the Fonseca deal falls through, the Marcelino deal could well go through.
Marcelino "excited by the prospect of coaching OM
Free since his departure from Athletic Bilbao, the Spanish coach has already worked with Pablo Longoria at Recreativo Huelva, Racing Santander and Valencia, and the two men are very close. According to La Provence, quoting his entourage, Marcelino is "excited by the prospect of coaching OM". This may seem like a plan C, but it's undoubtedly the easiest one for the Olympic board to implement. However, today's edition of L'Equipe points out that Marcelino's profile does not meet with unanimous approval at OM.
And why not yet another surprise?
Could this leave the door open for another surprise move? According to La Provence, Paulo Fonseca and Marcelino are not the only coaches being considered by Pablo Longoria and Javier Ribalta, but the identity of these other technicians remains a mystery at this stage. According to the regional daily, they are not Fabio Grosso, Ruben Amorim, Ivan Juric or Andoni Iraola, all of whom have been linked with OM in recent days.