OM's summer transfer window: McCourt's reassuring statements catch up with the owner

Olympique de Marseille closed its summer transfer window without recruiting a single player, an unprecedented outcome that exposes the financial difficulties facing the Phocaean club in broad daylight.

In April, American owner Frank McCourt stated unambiguously: « OM is one of the financially strongest clubs in Europe. We are not dragging heavy debts or other problems that concern other clubs. » Four months later, management was instructed to make significant savings, and no reinforcements crossed the doors of La Commanderie.

The reality, according to available information, is one of significant structural deficit, anticipated as early as meetings with the DNCG and UEFA in June. OM was banking on a rapid outgoing transfer window to create room for maneuver before the end of August. The club ultimately cashed in approximately 90 million euros, according to Transfermarkt, mainly thanks to the sales of Mason Greenwood, Facundo Medina and Quinten Timber. Purchase options remain to be exercised — including that of Leo Balerdi at AS Roma — and bonuses are expected on Iliman N’Diaye’s transfer from Everton to Manchester City, but these sums have not yet been accounted for.

This volume of sales was not enough to clean up the accounts. Several high salaries remain in the squad — Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Nayef Aguerd — and the club chose to retain certain players like Igor Paixao to avoid further weakening an already depleted group. « Both in terms of transfer gains and in terms of wage bill, we are still far from the target, » confides someone close to McCourt to L’Équipe.

This assessment suggests a winter transfer window under constraint, with little room to strengthen a squad that will have to make do with its current means until January at least.