Having left OM in February 2021, André Villas-Boas spoke about one of the reasons for this departure.
Coach of OM between 2019 and 2021, André Villas-Boas is now the president of FC Porto, a position he has held since last April. During his first season in Marseille, the Portuguese coach had a very good start, with a 2nd place and 56 points taken after 28 days, before the championships were stopped due to COVID.
Then, it was more complicated for him, especially with the Champions League campaign, ending in last place in the group stage (3 points). Villas-Boas then resigned in February 2021, giving way to Nasser Larguet, then Jorge Sampaoli (OM finished 5th). A decision explained by several reasons, including the arrival of a certain Olivier Ntcham in the winter transfer window, which Villas-Boas did not want, as he explained for L'Équipe.
“I had already said no for this player”
“Ntcham, it was a real coup d'état which broke everything (the midfielder had been recruited without his agreement). It wasn't bloodshed! It was a question of values. Everyone knows that when Pablo (Longoria) arrived, I decided to stay. Because I loved the club, obviously. I had linked my future to “Zubi” (Andoni Zubizarreta). Zubi left in May 2020, and I had a very strong discussion with Franck (McCourt). One of the things that we had made sacred between us was that the decision to take a player had to be validated by all parties.
I was not informed of the arrival, and I had already said no for this player (Olivier Ntcham). That's why I submitted my resignation, which later became a suspension, then an agreement between the two parties. (…) Training in France is hard. But it's interesting, because from one match to the next everything is different, the teams offer things that are not the same. That’s why I was disgusted that we left an image like that with OM in the Champions League,” he confided.
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