Marseille, who secured a Champions League spot last season, have hit reverse gear. Coach De Zerbi, who clashed with several players, was eventually sacked, but the change hasn’t sparked a revival – they languish in 7th place in Ligue 1.
While De Zerbi found a new job at Tottenham, Marseille are in turmoil and struggling to hold onto their stars. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who once sprayed a fire extinguisher at the sporting director, has lost his passion for the reunion, and worse, the club’s leading striker Mason Greenwood has signaled his desire to leave.
Aubameyang, now 37, shows veteran grit but isn’t Marseille’s future. In contrast, the 24-year-old Greenwood fits the bill as a potential star.
Since joining in summer 2024, the English forward has scored 52 goals and provided 16 assists in 93 games, proving Marseille’s eye for talent and breaking club records set by Didier Drogba, Dimitri Payet, and Mario Balotelli.
This season, his assist against Real Madrid in the Champions League and a four-goal haul against Le Havre seemed to confirm his status as the team’s talisman.
Before Aubameyang called Greenwood “star boy,” he was already competing with Ousmane Dembélé for the Ligue 1 Golden Boot, finishing second only on penalties. The media hyped him as a future Ballon d’Or winner.
But expectations have soured. Once determined to win the Golden Boot, Greenwood has suffered a dramatic dip, with a six-game goal drought ending his earlier heroics. Aubameyang, once full of praise, has distanced himself, suggesting Greenwood’s own actions are to blame – his recurring training laziness was a problem even under De Zerbi.
In October 2024’s Classique, an off-form Greenwood was substituted at halftime, initially met with sympathy. By March 2025, when his fitness failed, De Zerbi dropped him to the bench as punishment. By October 2025, when he refused to track back, his mentor had lost patience, comparing him unfavorably to Dembélé and calling him an “ordinary player.”
De Zerbi’s departure removed Greenwood’s protector, leading to just four goals in his last 12 games, including a penalty to end his drought. His poor form has exposed his old flaws: in a heavy defeat to Nantes, he had six shots (none on target), seven dribbles (one successful), a 71% pass completion rate, and lost possession 17 times.
“He lacks respect for the club,” one source said, hinting a messy split is likely.
New coach Beye initially played nice, but with his own job at risk, he harshly criticized Greenwood’s lazy runs and half-hearted defending, saying, “If I keep making excuses for him, I’m a liar.” The entire squad has grown tired of Greenwood’s privileges – his goals once quieted the noise, but the accumulated resentment is draining Marseille’s fighting spirit.
Greenwood once refused Beye’s instructions, interrupting a closed training session, and sent his lawyer to deliver the message: “I can only play 30 minutes” due to a minor injury. His refusal to learn French is seen as a minor lack of integration.
With both former and current coaches unable to control him, Marseille’s patience has worn thin, and cashing in on him has become the first step of a rebuild.
At 24, his market value has rebounded to €50 million, and he has shown his quality in the Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1. Clubs like Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool, and Atlético Madrid have sounded out his agent, and De Zerbi at Tottenham has hinted at a reunion.
Having just been named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, Greenwood told reporters, “I hope I can stay,” but it sounded less like loyalty and more like a farewell message.
His domestic violence scandal forced Manchester United to part ways with their academy graduate, keeping him off the pitch for 604 days. He rebuilt his career at Getafe with a tearful redemption, then joined Marseille on a path back to the top. But in less than two years, the former wonderkid has self-destructed again and is likely to leave Marseille as a disappointment.
“Marseille took a risk signing him after his serious mistakes, and everyone worked hard to give him the best conditions. But he repaid them with ingratitude – he’s a real piece of work,” said French legend Christophe Dugarry, warning potential buyers that Greenwood can score goals, but he also causes chaos.