The day after OM and Liverpool came to an agreement, and as he was about to make his way back to the Commanderie, Djibril Cissé talked exclusively to OM’s official website about his joy at officially becoming Marseillais.

The scene unfurled yesterday at the Commanderie. It was 16:00 and Boudewijn Zenden was answering our questions on OMtv, explaining how much Djibril Cissé had encouraged him to join Olympique de Marseille, the great things he had said about the club and the passion of its supporters.
A few minutes later, the new recruit is on the telephone. On the other end of the line… Djibril Cissé. “So, Bolo, is it done? Have you signed yet?… Great, so when do you leave Liverpool?”. The conversation lasts for a few minutes and is evidence of the complicity between the two players. A complicity the fans will be able to see on the field in 2007-08, thanks to the in-principle agreement reached that same day with the Liverpool directors. The day after this announcement, Djibril Cissé spoke exclusively to OM.net.

Djibril, an agreement has been reached with Liverpool for your transfer. What is your first reaction?
I’m very happy, really stoked. It took a while. But we fought tooth and nail and got what we wanted.

Even more so because you involved yourself in the process, attending the meetings…
Yes, I made sure I was present at all the discussions between the directors of the two clubs. I wanted to show the Liverpool bosses that it was no joke, that it wasn’t just hot air, that it was my heartfelt desire to sign for OM. I think that must have played some kind of part in the final result.

Why such a strong desire?
Things went really well last season. Also, Marseille is like home, I feel good here.

Did the ambitious recruiting done by OM in the last few weeks also sway your decision towards staying in Marseille?
No, because I had already made up my mind. I had chosen OM before the league season had finished.

You will meet up with Boudewijn Zenden, your former Liverpool team-mate.
Yes, and on top of that, Bolo (Zenden) is a friend. He’s a very effective, determined player. He’s not out on the field just to kick up some dirt; he’s always at 150%. He loves football and is an exceptional player.

What is your opinion on the other new recruits?
I know Gaël (Givet) from Arles (where they both come from). He’s like a brother to me. Everyone knows what he achieved at Monaco and I’m really happy to see him come to Marseille. Then, there’s Karim (Ziani), whose abilities on the field are well known. The same goes for Benoît (Cheyrou). Laurent Bonnart is a very good defender, we’ve got Vincent Gragnic in the middle… Really, we’re going to be a very attacking side.

The season ahead looks very exciting…
Absolutely. There’s the league and also the Champions League, which OM hasn’t played in for 3 years. With the team we’ve got this year, I think we can achieve some amazing things.