André Villas-Boas surprised everyone at Tuesday's press conference by announcing his resignation as Olympique de Marseille coach. The Portuguese coach justified that this decision was due to the arrival of Ntcham on the last day of the market, a footballer whom he had not asked. “It was not on the list of futuribles,” he explained.
These statements surprised the club's sports management, in which the Spanish Pablo Longoria is the head. Communication with the transfer manager has always been very fluid in both directions and, in fact, in this winter market the French club has been reinforced with Milik, Napoli forward who was followed by several European greats. It is true that Villas-Boas made other requests to strengthen the midfield. Transfers that Marseille tried but that were not economically viable, something understandable in the current economic situation. Despite this, an effort was made with Ntcham, a midfielder who has been international with France in all the lower categories. Few times has it been seen that a coach resigns from his position without asking for a single euro in exchange for the fact that the club brings him a level reinforcement.
The background of all this, the reality of the Portuguese's resignation, has two readings. On the one hand, the one with the most weight, It is the pressure he feels in Marseille because of the team's ultras. Last Saturday radical fans stormed the training ground (attacked the Spanish Álvaro González) and demanded the resignation of the board. The game that the French team was supposed to play against Rennes had to be suspended because of the altercations. The coach feels threatened by the most radical fans and can no longer bear this instability that is affecting his personal life.
That is the main reason for Villas Boas' resignation. He does not want to continue in a club with that external pressure and has found the perfect shield in the signing of Ntcham. But there is more: Marseille, a team designed by budget to fight for the Champions League, are currently seventh in the Ligue 1 standings and seven points behind European places. Villas-Boas, who is resigning for the second time, is unable to turn the situation around with such adverse weather as the one that has been generated in Marseille in recent weeks.
With all these ingredients on the table, Olympique de Marseille has not hesitated to side with the sports management led by Pablo Longoria. The French club has issued a statement announcing the suspension of the coach's job and salary and has described his statements as unacceptable. It is the last chapter of a soap opera that threatens to continue in the next few days …