Teammates in Algerian selection, striker Amine Gouiri and midfielder Ismaël Bennacer joined OM during the winter transfer window, with the blessing of Roberto de Zerbi, a coach who expects a lot from them.
Bennacer may be doing his debut in Angers on Sunday in the Marseille jersey. Gouiri has already made the presentations with the Marseille audience.
Last Sunday against Lyon, his training club, his entry into play around the 60th minute changed the turn of the match. On his first ball, he caused and struck and his center-out, deflected, benefited Mason Greenwood and allowed OM to equalize.
Then, his speed, his technical accuracy and his availability gave new momentum to his team, finally victorious 3-2.
“When he entered, he changed the speed of the team”summed up on Monday Fabrizio Ravanelli, the institutional advisor of OM, during the press conference of presentation of the player.
The former Niçois and Rennes assured having “The impression of crossing a level” having signed at OM. “I am still a young player and here it is the perfect club for me, to progress in regularity. This is something that I still have to improve, it’s true. But everything is gathered here to erase this ”he added.
“A top-player”
Like many other recruits before him, Gouiri also underlined the importance of the presence at the controls of the Roberto de Zerbi team.
“His presence has weighed down a lot. I spoke with him. He speaks football and I see myself in what he asks, my qualities correspond perfectly ”he assured.
“Gouiri was decisive against Lyon. In half an hour, he gave a decisive pass (involuntary, editor’s note) and two or three occasions left him ”,, for his part, tried the Italian coach on Friday.
“It increases our technical level. I like technical, fast, hard to read, unpredictable “players”he also explained last week.
Friday, from Zerbi also said all the good he thought of Bennacer, undoubtedly the most spectacular recruit of the Marseille winter, and whose signature intervened in the last minutes of the transfer window.
“It is a great reinforcement. Its characteristics are exactly compatible with the game we make. And he is a very high level player, like Hojbjerg, Rabiot, Greenwood, or Balerdi. He is a top player for us and he absolutely wanted to come to Marseille ”he said.
The ambition of Bennacer
“In August, we failed to complete the file and there it returned on Monday morning, the last day of the transfer window. When Medhi Benatia told me that it was possible, we stopped music, as they say in Italy ”he added.
The new Marseille striker during his presentation to the press on February 5, 2025 / Christophe Simon / AFP
Bennacer, for his part, assured Wednesday that he arrived at OM with ambition. “I have already won and if I am here, it is for clear objectives in the medium and long term. I am not here to be second or third. We are building something new and strong. OM is not a small team ”he said.
African champion with Algeria in 2019, Bennacer was welcomed with great enthusiasm in Marseille, where a very important Algerian community lives and already knows that the Vélodrome will reserve a huge ovation in a week against Saint-Etienne.
“We know the link between Marseille, Algeria and Africa in general. It didn’t necessarily weigh in my choice but that’s good. The presence of Amine is important for integration. I know him by the national team and I was happy to find him ”said the former Milanese on Wednesday.
As for Gouiri, he has already tasted the madness of the velodrome, which reminded him of something. “The atmosphere at the stadium, I lived it a little in selection. I saw all these Algerian flags and it was heart -warmed. It will help me a lot ”he said on Monday.
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