Belhanda offers himself to OM: "At number 10, they have nobody"

Younès Belhanda did not wait to be approached to position himself: the 36-year-old Moroccan attacking midfielder, currently at Al-Sailiya in Qatar, declared himself ready to join Olympique de Marseille during the winter transfer window.

When asked about a possible return to France, the former Montpellier player was direct: “I have the level to play in Ligue 1, not to play in Ligue 2.” A barely veiled jab at his academy club, Montpellier, which now competes in the second division.

Belhanda acknowledged having tried to return to France without success during his last contract expiration period. “I wanted to see if I could approach some clubs, to be in Ligue 1. I had no offers. Some agents tried to prospect,” he confided. Despite this silence from French clubs, the Moroccan international has no doubt about his value on the French market.

It is on OM that his argument is most offensive. “At Marseille, I play. At Lyon, I play. At Lille, I play… All the teams,” he listed, before driving the point home: “At Marseille, at number 10, they have nobody.”

Olympique de Marseille had completed its summer transfer window without a single arrival, an anomaly that fuels speculation about a possible winter move. While the Phocaean club does indeed have a gap at the number 10 position, the Belhanda option remains for now a personal initiative by the player, with no confirmation of Marseille’s interest.