Audacity in the service of ambitions. The arrival of midfielder Adrien Rabiot at Olympique de Marseille has highlighted all the audacity that the club’s sporting director, Medhi Benatia, can sometimes demonstrate. No one imagined the arrival of the 29-year-old French international possible just a few days ago, and yet Benatia and his president Pablo Longoria did it.
The genesis of this arrival dates back to the failure of the Ismaël Bennasser case, when OM had tried to bring him in in the form of a dry loan at the end of the summer transfer window. But AC Milan had finally refused this form, preferring a loan with an option to buy for its midfielder, which should have freed up wages for the arrival of the “Duke” at the Rossoneri.
“I didn’t expect this call at all”
Rabiot never joined AC Milan, nor any other club, and the list of players involved in the Champions League was published without him appearing anywhere. Enough to give Medhi Benatia the idea of trying his luck, to the point of even surprising the main person concerned:
« Yes, I was surprised at first, and I even told him clearly. He was straight to the point, without making a pun, he immediately explained the project to me and made me understand that it was a possibility. That in any case, he was very excited about it. He let me think about it, then called me back, I discussed it with my family and it went from there. I didn’t expect that call at all, but I liked Medhi Benatia’s approach. He is someone who is ambitious and determined. »
A “very good move” for Olympique de Marseille, “but is it one for Adrien Rabiot?”, nevertheless wonders agent Franck Belhassen. Because according to several player representatives, if OM was able to attract Adrien Rabiot, it is above all thanks to his mother, Véronique Rabiot, who also manages his career. “He had three or four opportunities to go to better clubs. Like Atlético for example, but the discussions between the clubs and his mother were very complicated. It’s the same with AC Milan, they were discussing and it became very complicated,” points out the agent for example. Even if there too, being able to “take advantage” of such situations is one of the qualities that a sporting director must have.
Proximity to the players
But that’s not all, his great capacity for persuasion often came up in Adrien Rabiot’s explanations, in addition to the in-depth discussions with coach Roberto De Zerbi. “Medhi was still a player not so long ago so he has this proximity to the world of football. Which makes it easier with certain players. And he was also an agent after the end of his career, this past allowed him to stay in the world of football, as close as possible to the clubs and the players, that’s what makes the difference”, they congratulate themselves on the OM side, even if we recall that each file is managed collegially with Pablo Longoria, Giovanni Rossi, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Medhi Benatia.
For Franck Belhassen too, Medhi Benatia’s “background” is a major asset. “He played in big clubs so he has the codes, he knows how these clubs are run and has worked alongside very competent managers. He knows exactly what people who have worked or work in these big clubs expect. He knows how to express himself and get messages across. He knows football and when you know football, you have these opportunities,” the agent explains.
“It has always been clear”
An ability to sniff out good moves and to convince. But also to be uncompromising. We particularly remember his outbursts last season on Jonathan Clauss and his lack of demands which may have seemed surreal. And more recently the putting in the loft of several undesirables, even if there again the decision came first from the entire management rather than just Medhi Benatia. “Pablo had a very bad time last season, he didn’t digest it and neither did Mehdi. They wanted real competitors. They brought in De Zerbi and his game system very early, and with the coach they didn’t see certain players in this system and told them very early. They received everyone, the guys didn’t discover the trick”, they say on the Commanderie side.
And here too, Medhi Benatia seems to have managed these files with great professionalism. “He is very human. I did not feel his intransigent side, nothing was imposed on us. Also because he knows what it is to be a football player, confides the agent of a lofteur who left OM this summer. We refused quite a few clubs and despite that, he did not bother us. It was always clear, the player was not part of the coach’s choices, if we have an opportunity we leave and if not the player will fight for his place. It was always courteous, it went very well, always in a professional manner and humanly I have nothing to complain about.” And it was ultimately these departures, some of which were at the last minute, that freed up enough payroll to allow Adrien Rabiot to be tried.
Source: www.20minutes.fr
