Marseille president: Bring in Rabiote Aoki because the team has ambitions and did not expect Deselby to come

On October 9, Marseille President Longoria accepted an interview with L 'Equipe, talking about Greenwood, Rabott and de Zelbi and other topics。

Longoria on DeZelby's arrival: "He's a coach with a lot of potential and needs to find a program that fits perfectly and gets everyone on the same page."

Sampaoli, Toodle, and now De Zelby。Why is it that he might be in charge for two or three seasons while others only stay for a year and then leave?

"I don't have a crystal ball.。[He smiles] Roberto De Zelbi knew the atmosphere of Marseille, the DNA of the club, when we first discussed it。In his past, he had already experienced this passionate atmosphere。Psychologically, it's very important to me。

"The second point is: he is a young coach (45 years old) who has already led mid-term projects, such as at Sassuolo (2018-2021), and he has the ability to build a team and shape a sense of identity。This modern, innovative coach allows you to see further。”

What you like most is how much he looks like you, right?

"I often think about it: 'You wake up in the morning and ask yourself why are you in football。'There's a million reasons, right?I remember being on the court when I was five years old。In my first conversation with De Zelbi, I asked him why he wanted to be a coach, and he said :" I love football so much, I go to the Mario Rigamonti [Brescia's stadium, named after a former Italy international] to watch games, it's fantastic.。"It's a lot like me, on a day-to-day basis, I feel like he's someone I can share more with than just the basic coach-president relationship。”

How do you convince a manager like that, who is in the Premier League - who was previously in the best league in the world, on a huge salary at Brighton?

"It was a collective effort and I'm not going to take all the credit for it。Many people contributed to Roberto's arrival, whether it was Medi (Benatia), Giovanni Rossi (sporting director at Marseille since June), who I have known for a long time and who gave me the opportunity to be head of scouting at Sassuolo。

"In fact, it all started with an impossible dream。One day a friend called me with a scoop, a week before it was reported in the press :" Don't say it, but De Zelby is releasing his contract with Brighton.。"We discussed it with Maddie and decided to call him。Why not give it a try?Over the next few weeks, despite the long odds of success, we patiently kept in touch。Then one day, he became interested in horse racing, too。”

This spring, he had discussions with some big clubs, but they couldn't give him the freedom he wanted。Can you tailor the program to him?

"He is a coach with a lot of potential and a very high level and needs to find a project that fits perfectly and gets everyone on the same page from the owners to all the management。It is this consistency that Roberto is asking of us。He didn't ask for everything to be done for him, it wasn't。He even wanted to explain his project and vision to Frank。”

You also share a code of conduct with Igor Tudel and Marcelino。Why would it be more successful with him this time?

"Because we learned from the mistakes of the past。At Marseille, the coach's position is undoubtedly the most complicated because he is under the most pressure。If you like the pressure, that's already an advantage。Last season I tried to get away more from the day-to-day work and I saw how many things a coach has to deal with at a club like Marseille。If he has to deal with all the problems, such as medical problems, training ground problems, travel troubles...That's why we brought in Giovanni Rossi, who knows the coach very well, is very calm and can act as a buffer with the coach;We have also brought in a fitness director (Marcelo Ia) who is the sole liaison between the technical and medical teams。”

How do you convince a player like Greenwood or Pierre-Emile Hoibier athletically and financially?

"Through an ambitious project。On a financial level, given that we don't have European games this season, we have to take responsibility, so we all made sacrifices in the first year to launch a new economic model。”

In September, you bring in Rabiote, and the position is fully staffed。In the absence of Champions League football, isn't that a luxury?

"It's a huge opportunity for the club。We decided to be ambitious and demanding at the same time。I asked all teams to earn additional commercial income in order to be able to bring in Rabiot。This was not planned before August 30。Now we have to create extra revenue to get everyone on the same level。”

Where does the boss stand on these unexpected expenses?

"When Medi told me there was the possibility of bringing in Rabio, it was a bit like the situation with Coach De Zelby。The first thing to do is to call the supervisory board and explain, and the second is to explain to Frank。Everyone is consistent: we take financial risks in pursuit of sporting success, which will pay off more in the future。

"In my position, it's clear that having a stable, determined boss like him is a huge advantage。When I was analyzing all the data to bring in Adrian, Frank said to me, "Let's go!"Well, I have to get things done, but your boss, he has faith。”

What is your position during the transfer market?

"With my many years of positive experience in this field, I want to be fully supervised and away from day-to-day affairs.。However, this summer, when a case didn't fit with the club's strategy, when negotiations stalled, I stepped in。I kept my distance to give the right advice。”