Pablo Longoria's trusted man, Mehdi Benatia did not take long to settle in at OM. But his external consultant contract ends on December 5.
The fall and winter of 2023 had been deadly for Pablo Longoria's entourage, since in the wake of the famous meeting with the Ultras, the president of Olympique de Marseille had seen his bodyguard leave. After considering leaving his post, Longoria finally decided not only to remain the boss of OM, but he also recruited Mehdi Benatia to advise him. However, involved in a players' agents firm, the former Moroccan international did not have the right to become an employee of the Marseille club so as not to be suspected of mixing his private interests and those of Marseille. It is therefore in the form of an external consultant, and therefore a service provider, that he signed a one-year contract with OM, and this contract ends on December 5. As for Frank McCourt, who was present at the Vélodrome last weekend, we have already decided on the future of Mehdi Benatia.
Benatia will sign for OM
Mathieu Grégoire, journalist for L'Equipe in Marseille, reveals that Mehdi Benatia will leave this consultant status and will sign a contract as an employee of Olympique de Marseille where he will officially have the title of sports director. This change may seem trivial, but it will greatly make life easier for Benatia and Longoria. Given his current status, the OM consultant could not talk about money during the negotiations for signatures, likewise, he was not authorized to negotiate with certain agents with whom he would have already had relationships.
Marseille muscle son organisation
But a priori, everything will be settled on December 5, because everything indicates that Frank McCourt and Mehdi Benatia have reached an agreement for the latter's new contract, even if the last details must be finalized, and in particular the duration of this contract. commitment. “C'is a non-subject. A fixed-term contract or a permanent contract, the difference is minimal, the idea is to see it accompany the three-year project led by the president », indicated an internal source at Olympique de Marseille. And to make all of this even more concrete, the family of the future sporting director of OM, who had remained in Dubai, could come and settle in the Provençal region in order to avoid regular travel for Mehdi Benatia.
