Posted on November 20, 2021 at 11:30 am by Arthur Montagne
Former Flamengo sports director Carlos Mozer, who also wore the OM jersey, reveals that he proposed Lucas Paqueta to Marseille in 2018. But the management at the time did not follow up, which risks to leave regrets with Olympian supporters.
The passage of Jacques-Henri Eyraud to the presidency of OM , which is accompanied by that of Andoni Zubizarreta as sporting director, does not leave very good memories to the Marseille fans who quickly took offense at their leaders. So much so that Frank McCourt had to take matters into his own hands last February by appointing Pablo Longoria , who had succeeded Andoni Zubizarreta a few months earlier, as President of the OM . The Spanish leader also seems very appreciated in Marseille for his work, especially in terms of recruitment. A radical change given the many flops that have accumulated Eyraud and Zubizarreta during their time in the leadership of OM . And it is not the revelations of Carlos Mozer that will allow Olympian fans to reconcile with the former management of the club …
OM refused Paqueta …
< p> Indeed, the former defender of OM was also sporting director of Flamengo in 2018 when a certain Lucas Paqueta began to explode under the gaze of the biggest European clubs. The Brazilian midfielder, announced in particular at PSG , finally joined AC Milan in January 2019. But a few months earlier, it is well at < strong> OM that Lucas Paqueta could have discovered European football. “I called my friends in Marseille to tell them he was really strong. It was a tip for people from the club to come and see him there. I thought Lucas had all the qualities for Marseille, he could be very interesting for OM. This did not happen. Today, it’s Lyon that benefits. There are a lot of former Brazilian OM players, we live in Brazil, we know football well here and we also know the character and quality it takes to play in Marseille. It's a shame that the club does not get information from us, “says Carlos Mozer in the columns of Provence. But while Lucas Paqueta had been transferred for 25M €, the finances of OM could they have allowed such a transfer? For Carlos Mozer , it's up to the leaders to find a solution: “I don't know if the club had the capacity to buy it, but that's the job of the people who work on finances ! (laughs) It's up to the managers to find the best solutions to attract the players. As a reminder, during the summer of 2018, OM spent almost € 55 million on three players, namely, Duje Caleta-Car , Nemanja Radonjic and Kevin Strootman , recruited for 25M € … Finally, Lucas Paqueta , very affected by the departure of Leonardo from the AC Milan in June 2019, will bounce back to the OL which will attach its services for 20M € during the summer of 2020. And before facing the OM Sunday in the shock of the Olympics, Lucas Paqueta is today one of the very best players in Ligue 1 …