Usually fairly media shy, OM sporting director José Anigo took time out for a long interview with us to discuss all the hot topics surrounding the defending champions, starting, in part one of this exclusive interview, with the summer mercato...
José, just over two months ago, OM was crowned French champions… have you managed to move on?
There’s a type of joy all over the city that seems to invade us all here at the club. The supporters have been on cloud nine after so many years without a trophy and now, slowly, slowly, the football is retaking centre stage, the new season is just around the corner and we’re preparing for battle. It won’t be easy, but we know the song now. The past is behind us now, we’re looking forward to the new challenges, starting with the Champions Trophy, and then the Champions League draw which will be amazing for the club.
OM is in the middle of preseason training. How does the squad look to you?
During the first training camp, it’s always hard to set uniform goals because not all the players are present. You generally have to wait for the second training camp when everyone is there to start putting long term goals and attitudes in motion. For the moment though, the atmosphere is amazing. We’re still living off the winning of the title and the squad has barely changed. Everyone’s happy to get back together and start working again. This joy and happiness are essential for a team and it’s this force that helped us win it last season.”
There have been few changes to the squad during the off season. Is the idea to have stability while add a couple of little complimentary additions?
Yes, Antonio Pintus had already worked with Didier (Deschamps) at Monaco and DD wanted to add another member to his staff. Nicolas Dehon is different because he joined the club with Spino returning to the youth academy and we needed to replace him. It’s all been very natural and painless. Christophe Manouvrier is still here and perhaps he’ll learn a bit more working alongside Pintus. And Spino is still at the club because his heart is blue and white. Not too much has changed really.
Azpi is the only signing for the moment. A lot of people are asking just how OM fought off the interest of some of Europe’s biggest clubs?
Azpi is really very simple. It was a sporting question because OM are playing regularly in the Champions League. The club is very popular across Europe. Overseas, everyone talks about “l’Olympique” as they say, and they know a lot about us. So for Azpi, it’s a trampoline for him, whether that be at club or international level. OM are French champions and Spain is our neighbour. We know what happens in Spain and they know what happens here. He’s a great signing for the club, a player that we’ve been following for the last three years and he has a great future.
On Wednesday, Didier Deschamps talked about his interest Alou Diarra. What’s stopping that move at the moment? Bordeaux? Bordeaux’s president?
No, it’s not Jean-Louis Triaud that’s blocking the move. We have to think about financial side. Do we pay as much as Bordeaux are asking for? It’s a decision that will be made at the very top of the club, the owner, the president. If everyone agrees then I think it will happen. Everyone knows there’s a get-out clause in the player’s contract and that you need to pay that to sign him.
