Football agent Yvan Le Mée has launched a scathing critique of Pablo Longoria's time as sporting director of Olympique de Marseille, claiming the executive was either "bad" or "under influence." Le Mée made the comments during an appearance on the podcast Ils Font Marseille, offering a behind-the-scenes perspective on the club's recent transfer strategy and leadership. His remarks come as Marseille prepares for a presidential transition, with Stéphane Richard set to take over at the start of July.
Le Mée revealed he was once approached by influential agents to help facilitate Longoria's move to Marseille in 2020 but refused the lobbying effort. According to the agent, he declined because he knew Longoria's working methods and predicted the outcome. Despite his refusal, Longoria was appointed shortly thereafter, tasked with rebuilding the squad after the departure of Andoni Zubizarreta. Le Mée's account suggests the recruitment process for key football operations roles at Marseille has often been managed by major agencies, with CAA Base handling the search that led to Longoria and Excel Sport Management recently being enlisted to find his successor.
The core of Le Mée's criticism centers on Marseille's inconsistent performance in the transfer market during Longoria's tenure. He pointed to the club's qualification for the UEFA Champions League only twice in five years as evidence of flawed work. According to Le Mée, a sporting director's primary duty is to not make mistakes in player recruitment, a standard he feels Marseille failed to meet. He cited several signings that he deemed questionable, including Vitinha, Gerson, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Faris Moumbagna, and Pol Lirola, the latter being loaned out for an extended period.
Le Mée contrasted Marseille's operations with those of clubs like Atalanta, which he noted achieves better results with a smaller budget. He argued that the Marseille recruitment team missed clear opportunities to sign impactful players at reasonable prices, specifically mentioning Julian Alvarez, who had an €18 million release clause at River Plate before joining Manchester City, and João Pedro, who moved to Watford for a reported €10 million. For Le Mée, the failure to identify such attainable talents calls the entire sporting direction into question.
The agent's public dissection of Longoria's reign adds a layer of scrutiny as Marseille enters a new chapter. The club's ownership, led by Frank McCourt, has already initiated the search for a new sporting director, a process being managed by an external agency. Le Mée's comments will likely fuel debate among supporters and observers about the criteria for this crucial appointment and the need for a more analytical, data-driven approach to squad building. The incoming president, Stéphane Richard, will inherit these expectations and the pressure to return Marseille to consistent Champions League football and domestic contention.
