Midfielders with different physiques and characteristics, both launched by Rudi in Marseille and Lyon. And the Sassuolo director: “I like a southern club…”
– Naples
At the Velodrome in Marseille there is curiosity that 30 October 2016, when an eighteen-year-old with a small physique and the face of a child who grew up at home made his debut at Olympique: his name is Maxime Lopez and the coach who is not afraid to trust that boy’s name is Rudi Garcia. In three seasons Maxime will become a point of reference for the Marseilles, playing 118 games with Rudi to guide him, before being noticed by Sassuolo and signed in 2020. This mini story makes you realize why today the streets of the little tightrope walker and the Franco coach -Andalusian can be reunited for the happiness of both.
mission statement
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And the midfielder born in 1997 is not hiding: “I feel very good in Italy, I love this country, I speak Italian, and there are big clubs and if I can go to one of these it would be the best. I also really like a club in the south that I it is very reminiscent of Marseille,” he told French newspaper Le Media Carré. And it’s not that there are so many great teams in the south to have to rack their brains. The Frenchman announced his intention to leave Sassuolo: “I did three seasons in Emilia. I’ve already talked to them about my future, I thanked them because in a certain sense they relaunched me and they also allowed me to show off, but I think The time has come to go and aim higher. There is also the Premier League and if De Zerbi calls me for Brighton we could discuss it seriously. The return to Marseille? I’ve thought about it several times, I’d like to return but you don’t have to. I keep wondering if it’s a good choice or not.” In short, the road seems paved because Garcia would like his pocket talent, and the Marseillaise is highly motivated to choose the Italian champions. A negotiation that can take off directly between De Laurentiis and Carnevali: the evaluations of the card start from 10 and reach 15 million. With deferred payments and bonuses, a deal isn’t hard to come by. Garcia knows well the characteristics of his man who knows how to play in the centre, but also as a midfielder, attacking midfielder and even as a right winger in the 4-2-3-1 formation. An important ductility for the coach who doesn’t want to remain caged in a single way of being on the pitch, but who also needs the inventiveness of individuals. Among other things, Maxime has an excellent memory of Naples because at the San Paolo on November 1st 2020 – when he was not yet called Maradona – he scored his first Italian goal.
doubling
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And in a Naples that can have a French soul – let’s not forget that Anguissa himself grew up in Ligue 1, always in Marseille with Garcia – Lucas Tousart can be another piece, who played 29 games with Garcia in the other Olympique, that of Lyon, in the 2019-2020 season. Maurizio Sarri’s Juve will also remember him well, who saw his dreams of the Champions League shattered with a powerful left foot from the Arras midfielder. Tousart, also born in 1997, did so well with Garcia that Hertha Berlin bought him that summer for 25 million. The German coach Schwarz also used him as a midfielder in the last season, while in Lyon with Garcia he was the permanent central defender. Also in this case we are talking about a fairly flexible player, who expresses greater physicality than Lopez. There has already been a first approach between Naples and Hertha Berlin, because the Germans would like Diego Demme, but to exchange him they are asking for a balance high in the millions in their favor. Napoli has no intention of spending much and is proposing a loan formula which is not currently accepted. But we are only at the beginning of the market and, as we know, scenarios can change quite rapidly. The feeling is that Lopez, due to a series of convergences of will, could be an operation that can be concluded relatively quickly. Also because Napoli will need at least two midfielders to complete the squad (with Ndombele leaving and Demme probable) and Garcia wants to give him his touch.
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