Olympique de Marseille are in turmoil as the aftermath of their opening day defeat to Stade Rennais looks to continue. Reports emerged after the game that Jonathan Rowe (22) and Adrien Rabiot (30) had been involved in an alleged physical altercation in the away dressing room following the 1-0 loss to ten-man Rennes.
Both players were subsequently suspended from training, and it quickly became apparent that there was no future for either in the team. Rabiot’s agent and mother, Véronique Rabiot, revealed to RTL that the club had contacted her son’s lawyer to explain that Roberto De Zerbi no longer wanted him to be a part of the team, due to a perceived “lack of investment.”
Yesterday afternoon, Marseille confirmed via a club statement that they had placed both players on the transfer list, with the decision being made because of their “unacceptable behaviour.” Last night, Rabiot’s lawyer, Romuald Palao, took to the airwaves to defend his client.
Speaking to RMC Sport’s L’After Foot, Palau said, “It’s very surprising, it’s incomprehensible. Adrien has been extremely involved in the Marseille project for almost a year, and he’s very attached to it. After [the incident involving Rowe], Adrien thought that when he came back from the weekend, we’d have moved on and resumed training. When we learned this afternoon that he was on the transfer list, we were clearly stunned.”
Palau indicated that Rabiot would be willing to move on if Marseille do not change their view, and that they would be looking for a new project. However, he was surprised by the club €15m valuation, “You can’t indicate that you want to part ways with a player and then come and demand mind-boggling sums, €15m is huge.”
He also cast doubt on Marseille’s version of events, stating, “We obviously have doubts about what the club has said. When the club says the player’s behaviour has changed recently, it’s completely false. We have the impression that there’s a bit of fabrication going on, and they’re using Friday’s episode to oust Adrien. It’s a complete misunderstanding.”