Agent Yvan Le Mée has delivered a damning assessment of Pablo Longoria's tenure as sporting director of Olympique de Marseille, claiming the executive was either "bad" or "under influence" during a period of poor recruitment. The comments were made during an appearance on the podcast Ils Font Marseille, where Le Mée recounted his own career before turning his focus to the Ligue 1 club's recent struggles.
Le Mée revealed he was approached to help facilitate Longoria's move to Marseille in 2020 but refused the lobbying effort because he knew "who he was, how he worked and I knew what was going to happen." According to Le Mée, Longoria signed with the club just weeks later despite his refusal to assist. At the time, the agency CAA Base was tasked with finding a new sporting director after the departure of Andoni Zubizarreta.
The agent's criticism centered on Marseille's transfer strategy under Longoria, which he described as being riddled with errors. He pointed to the club's limited Champions League participation—only twice in five years—as evidence of flawed work. "If you only go to the Champions League twice in five years, it's because you haven't worked well," Le Mée stated. "It's the players who bring you results, so you must not be wrong about the players you take."
He cited several specific signings he deemed questionable, including Vitinha, Gerson, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Faris Moumbagna, and Pol Lirola, who was loaned out for four years. "It's not possible to be wrong so much," Le Mée argued. "Either you are bad, or you are under influence." He contrasted Marseille's record with that of Atalanta Bergamo, a club he noted operates with a smaller budget but achieves greater results.
Le Mée also highlighted missed opportunities in the transfer market, suggesting the club failed to identify affordable talent. He named Julian Alvarez, who had an €18 million release clause in Argentina before joining Manchester City, and Joao Pedro, who moved to Watford for around €10 million, as players Marseille should have targeted. "If you are not capable of identifying these products, which are economically feasible, then anyone can be a sporting director," he concluded.
The critique arrives at a moment of transition for Marseille, with Stéphane Richard set to assume the presidency at the start of July. The search for Longoria's successor is reportedly being handled by another agency, Excel Sport Management, which was mandated by owner Frank McCourt and has interviewed candidates including former Nice executive Julien Fournier. Le Mée's comments cast a shadow over the legacy of the outgoing regime and will increase scrutiny on the incoming appointment tasked with revitalizing the club's sporting project.
