Season Preview #7: Olympique de Marseille
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With the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season nearing, we’re reviewing every team in the league, giving you all you need to become a Ligue 1 expert. From now until the season kicks off on August 16, we’ll preview two clubs daily, breaking down their key moves and how the season will likely unfold for them.
Olympique de Marseille
Founded: 1899
Stadium: Stade Vélodrome
Nickname(s): Les Phocéens; Les Olympiens
Manager: Roberto De Zerbi (first season)
De Zerbi has spent the last two seasons on the sidelines for Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, winning 38 matches while taking charge of 89 contests in all competitions. This summer, though, the Italian tactician left the English club to manage Marseille, and it will be his first time coaching in French football.
Last season: 8th (50 points)
Cult hero: Valentin Rongier
After moving from FC Nantes, the Marseille captain has been with the club since 2019. In the six years Rongier has been with OM, the midfielder has appeared in 169 matches across all competitions, scoring three goals and recording ten assists. The 2023-24 campaign was challenging for the 29-year-old, as he only played 15 games and suffered a season-ending injury last November. Rongier will aim to put the situation behind him as he looks to play a vital role in Marseille’s 2024-25 season.
Key arrival:
Marseille have bolstered their midfield this summer with the arrivals of Ismaël Koné, who comes from Watford, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, who arrives from Tottenham Hotspur. The Denmark native made 184 appearances for Spurs, scoring ten goals and recording 16 assists while the Canadian international played 63 total matches for the English side, scoring four goals and registering four assists.
Key departure:
Marseille will have to replace the 30 goals and 11 assists that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang provided the squad in all competitions last season. Aubameyang left OM this summer to continue his career in Saudi Arabia, signing with Al-Qadsiah, but his departure leaves a significant hole in Marseille’s attack. The veteran striker recorded 17 goals in Ligue 1 and ten goals in the UEFA Europa League, so it’s a real challenge for De Zerbi to replace that amount of goal production this 2024-25 season.
Season outlook:
OM have ushered in a youth movement this summer with most of their new arrivals, such as Mason Greenwood (22), Koné (22), Lilian Brassier (24), Bamo Meïté (22), and Valentín Carboni (19) being under the age of 25. De Zerbi will also count on players from last season who fit this reliance on young players that Marseille is having, like Leonardo Balerdi (25), Luis Henrique (22), Quentin Merlin (22), and Faris Moumbagna (24).
The 45-year-old manager has experience working with young players while with Brighton, so this will be familiar territory for him. Several of Marseille’s rising standouts should take another step in their development and begin flourishing in what should be a Ligue 1 season filled with excitement.
Likely XI (4-2-3-1): López, Merlin, Brassier, Balerdi, Murillo, Højbjerg, Koné, Henrique, Greenwood, Carboni, and Moumbagna
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